Negotiating Reality and Fantasy through Magical Realism in Suleikha Snyder’s Big Bad Wolf

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.16931341

Abstract

The current research aims to study how Suleikha Snyder’s Big Bad Wolf uses magical realism to tell a story that’s both deeply imaginative and powerfully political. By blending the real world with the supernatural think werewolves, psychic powers, and shadowy government forces Snyder doesn’t just entertain; she exposes the harsh realities faced by those on the margins of society. Through the lens of magical realism, the novel transforms the figure of the ‘Big Bad Wolf’ into something far more complex: not just a monster, but a symbol of resistance, trauma, and survival. Drawing on theories of magical realism, as well as postcolonial and feminist thought, this thesis explores how the novel challenges our ideas of identity, justice, and power in a world shaped by U.S.-led global dynamics. Snyder’s use of the fantastic isn’t about escape it’s about seeing the world more clearly, and imagining new ways to live and fight back. Ultimately, this study argues that magical realism in Big Bad Wolf is a tool for truth-telling, giving voice to those often silenced and reimagining what it means to be monstrous in a broken world.

Keywords: Magical Realism, Suleikha Snyder, Big Bad Wolf, Political Allegory, Postcolonial Criticism, Feminist Theory, Identity, Resistance, Trauma, Monstrosity, U.S. Hegemony, Speculative Fiction