The Freak Show in “Keela, the Outcast Indian Maiden”

Abstract

Freak show, getting popular in the middle of the 19th century, is the original form of mass entertainment before televisions and films dominate American people's visual life. It has attracted the attention of writers who draw some inspiration from them. From the middle of the 19th century to the first half of the 20th century, freak show was popular in America's urban and rural areas and then gradually disappeared with the rise of medical and disability discourses. Freak show then became a despicable activity since it made use of other people's weakness or disabled body as a tool to make profits. Eudora Welty, a novelist as well as a photographer, once got close to freak shows but refused to be the audience of them. Instead, she integrated her criticism about freak show in the short story "Keela, the Outcast Indian Maiden". The essay will analyze the silences of Little Lee Roy in Steve's recollection of a freak show in Eudora Welty's "Keela, the Outcast Indian Maiden" with the aim to make the silenced voice of Little Lee Roy, who played the role of the outcast Indian maiden, be heard and show Welty's ethical criticism about such a visual activity. Through the analysis of the short story, it is found that Welty has maintained her sympathy towards the performers in the freak show and reminded us of audiences' ethical position in a visual activity.