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CULTURAL APPROPRIATION IN TWO SHORT STORIES BY ALICE MUNRO...
known for their unusually high religious tolerance, especially among the
members of their own national/cultural group. While intermarrying between
different faiths was rare but sometimes tolerated, I find it hard to believe
that the Franciscan would react so indecently towards a possible Muslim
groom. Besides, such conduct of the Franciscan would be seen as a breach of
contract and honour. On the other hand, it is obvious from the story that the
Franciscan was in love with Lottar, and the positive cultural re-interpretation
was perhaps sacrificed for the needs of the plot. In the end, the Franciscan
himself is a bit of a cultural outsider, a person who grew up in Italy and was
later assimilated in the world of the Ghegs.
Descriptions of Assimilation
The short story “The Albanian Virgin” features an intertwined plethora of
described and hinted at processes of assimilation; actually, the complex
interrelations of cultural dominance and melding of cultural identities. First
of all, there is Lottar (Charlotte), a young Canadian heiress, brought to a
highlander village in Albania, which Charlotte describes as very primitive.
Lottar is a new name given to her, as the first mark of assimilation, and
then she slowly but surely becomes a part of the Gheg cultural circle. Lottar
becomes fairly proficient in the language of the Ghegs, she takes part in
everyday life of the village and all the local customs allowed for women. She
accepts the position of a woman in the patriarchal society. In other words, she
becomes one of the Albanians. This is subtly inserted by Munro’s remark that
Lottar now liked making yoghurt and dipping bread in it, just like the locals
do. Finally, Lottar becomes a sworn virgin.
The Franciscan spent his youth with his Albanian parents in Italy, and he
returned to Albania as a young man. The description of the Franciscan sitting
in the room in Shkodra waiting for his moustache to grow back only shows
that he had to assimilate back to the Albanian society. There are instances in
the story that prove that he partially remained an outsider in the culture of
the highlands.
After their escape to Canada, Lottar and the Franciscan are assimilated
again. Lottar is subdued to a process of reverse assimilation in which she
regained her Canadian identity becoming Charlotte again, while the Franciscan
becomes Gjurdhi. Both Charlotte and Gjurdhi largely remain outsiders in
Canadian society. Their strangeness is expressed both by their appearance
and behaviour. They are also subjects of superstition, for example, they are
suspected of shoplifting and are sometimes considered to be peddlers, and
Gjurdhi comes across as a superficial person to the Notary Public. Charlotte
is called the Duchess and Gjurdhi the Algerian by the notary public, of course,
with a high degree of irony. Not only is Gjurdhi’s cultural identification as an
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