I really responded to the reading for this week. The constant disparity that exists at the beginning of the novel is incomparable to the other novels we have read so far for the semester. The way the content is delivered by the author is just so emphatic, there is no real drawn out detail, because the atrocities just seem to occur over and over.
Again, as seen in the other novels for this course, the idea of "juggling" one's cultural influences with the adaptation to the modern culture for social survival arises here. A specific moment of this concept that occurred at the beginning of the novel (p.19) was Mary's description of her Grandmother and her religious affiliation: Catholicism.
Mary describes her Grandmother's actions as trying to raise her and her siblings "as whites." However, Mary describes her Grandmother's identity as one that is not able to shift away from her true identity as a Sioux Indian-No matter how Catholic she tries to act. Mary gives a lengthy description of her Grandmother and just how "Indian" her characteristics are; from her language, her customs, her knowledge, etc. It gets back to the issue of Mary's Grandmother wanting her grandchildren to be successful. The only way she thinks they can be is if they are raised as "white" children. Yet, Mary's description of her Grandmother's true Indian style is strong, and in a way compelling. Mary describes it in a way that show's the power of her Grandmother's identity as an Indian, and in a way that let's the reader know that her Indian identity is important to Mary. She cannot escape it. It is truly sad that Mary's Grandmother feels this way because of where they are and what society is dictating about her and her people at this time. Mary's Grandmother should feel like she can be who she truly is, and it seems the author, Mary, wants this as well. Truly, the Native American population is a minority that I know very little about-it makes me excited and anxious for tonight's lecture.
I was interested in how Mary's Grandmother decided that not teaching Mary the Sioux language effected Mary as well. I understand that Mary's Grandmother wants Mary to have a successful life and not be judged and discriminated against for being Sioux. However I was disapionted in her decision to not teach Mary the language which we find out later is a cause of much stress and saddness in her life after she marries Leonard. She feels left out of her culture and is harrased about it by her Crow Dog family.
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