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In Margaret Atwood’s *Surfacing*, anti-Americanism emerges as a significant thematic undercurrent, shaping the novel’s political, cultural, and environmental critique. As part of a broader discourse in 20th-century Canadian literature, the novel reflects anxieties about Canadian identity, sovereignty, and ecological integrity in the shadow of American economic and cultural imperialism. The narrative unfolds through the unnamed female protagonist’s journey into the Canadian wilderness, ostensibly to search for her missing father, but in reality, it becomes a journey into psychological and national self-discovery. Through setting, characterization, symbolism, and political commentary, Atwood embeds strong anti-American sentiments, echoing the Canadian nationalist impulses prominent in the literature of the 1960s and 1970s. One of the most direct expressions of anti-Americanism in *Surfacing* lies in the characterization of David and Joe, the two men accompanying the narrator. Although they are Canadian, David is depicted as someone heavily influenced by American culture. His speech, behavior, and attitudes are imbued with an aggressive, consumerist, and exploitative energy reminiscent of the American media and corporate ethos. He constantly uses a video camera to film everything during the trip, displaying an impulse to commodify nature and experience. This act parallels American tendencies to appropriate, consume, and package even the most sacred or private experiences for mass consumption. The narrator is deeply disturbed by David’s objectifying gaze and his performative masculinity, which she interprets as symptomatic of American cultural infiltration into Canadian consciousness. The narrator's thoughts and observations throughout the novel reflect a deep suspicion and resentment toward Americans. She describes American tourists who invade Canadian land with disdain, regarding them as loud, disrespectful, and oblivious to the environmental and cultural significance of the places they occupy. There is a sense that Americans are not merely visitors but invaders who bring with them a form _______ ____ ________ __________ _________.
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