The Idea of Performing

After last weeks discussion of "performance", I was more aware of performing while I was reading Killing Custer. The idea of performance has come up several times throughout the semester in various readings. We saw an obvious performance in Confederates in the Attic where men reenacted or "performed" civil war events. Then we saw men dressing up as Indians, disguising themselves as part of a grand performance, and last week we saw the four little women making a club where masculinity was being performed (very devious for the gender roles at the time); however, they were just "playing" or "performing" so it was acceptable.

There is a great deal of performance when it comes to Custer and the Battle of Little Bighorn. Firstly, the whole Custer myth is based on a performance that is falsely remembered as legendary. Because Custer died in battle fighting for his country, his performance will be remembered and will remain a legend. Also, the battle was a series of performances and despite the fact that the Native Americans performed better, Custer in a sense won, at least he won the title of a martyr. This concept of performance is very much present in the readings and usually has some degree of controversy surrounding it, whether it fuels a rebellion or aggravates the social construction of gender roles.