WHITE AMERICANS THROUGH NATIVE AMERICAN EYES: STEREOTYPES AND INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION IN THOMAS BERGER’S “LITTLE BIG MAN”

American mass culture has long exploited the caricatured image of Native Americans. However, contemporary American literature has produced works depicting white America through the eyes of Native Americans. Thomas Berger's novel “Little Big Man” (1964) stands as one of the few works written by a non-Native author whose authenticity is acknowledged by Native Americans themselves. Throughout the narrative, the protagonist repeatedly crosses the boundary between white and Native American cultures, comparing them and forming an impartial opinion of both. The story unfolds through the memories of 111-year-old Crabb, spanning the years 1852 to 1876. The protagonist witnesses and participates in pivotal events of American expansion, including the Battle of Little Bighorn. Berger deconstructs the mythology of the Wild West, revealing how abstract notions of goodness, justice, or honour translate into bloody reality: the benevolence of whites often turns into acts of violence, expressions of pity are perceived as insults. Particular attention in the novel is payed to the issue of intercultural communication: conflicts and violence arise from abstractions detached from reality and oversimplified perceptions of culture. A meaningful intercultural dialogue is only possible through the rejection of stereotypes and the recognition of the complexity inherent in each side.