Abstrakt
Set in the Northwest Territories, in communities troubled with violence, drug abuse, and alcoholism, Richard Van Camp's stories deal with the effects of settler colonialism on individuals, families and human relationships within a community. Despite the omnipresent sense of loss and pain in the texts, the stories are not deprived of humor.
On the contrary, pain and laughter stand frequently side by side, representing two ends of a single thread. What is the relationship between violence and humor? What is the relationship between pain and humor? What is the role of humor in the healing process? The aim of the paper is to explore these questions and try to find in which ways humor is used in Richard Van Camp's work, specifically in his collection of stories titled The Moon of Letting Go.
Humorous narratives, for example, about friends running around the town naked at night or about a guy broadcasting pornography to the community instead of a hockey game are told on the background of personal loss, pain and suffering which time to time flicker through the text, giving the humorousness a much different dimension. On the other hand, painful narratives about people coping with death of their loved ones and people struggling through addiction and violence flash momentarily with funny moments, triggering healing for the hurting individuals.
There has been a lot of pain in Indigenous communities all over North America and finding a way to deal with it is an ongoing process. Richard Van Camp discloses the issues but at the same time writes about the moments of healing and resurgence.
More than often, these moments are merged with humor.