Keeper N Me Analysis

In the novel, Keeper’n me, Garnet Raven was taken from his Ojibway Indian reserve home when he was three years old (Wagamese 12). Garnet was placed in a series of foster homes away from his family and he, therefore, never enjoyed the comforts of his family, neither did he get to learn his family’s way of life. From one reserve house to another, Garnet lastly escaped the reserve house when a chance presented itself only to land in a very big city and at jail by age 20. From the time he was taken from his home, Garnet returned when he was 25 years old. This novel parallels the residential schools, and it could be said that the story line or the plot of the novel was greatly influenced by the knowledge of the residential schools. The plot development …show more content…
These schools, better known as residential schools, were administered by the Anglican Church of Canada, and the Catholic Church of Canada. The working theme of these schools was to remove the native children from their families hence barring them from the influence they could have got from their families in terms of culture and values. This was aimed at assimilating this children’s in the culture that dominated Canada (Regan 3). Though residential schools had their origin in the pre-confederation times, it became primarily active after the passing of the Indian Act in the late 19th century until the late 20th century. Following the Indian Act, attending a day school, industrial school, or a residential school was compulsory (Douglas 155). Nevertheless, in some part of the country, there was not an option to make since there was only residential school. By 1931, the number of residential schools reached about 80 and it is said that over 150, 000 native children passed through this schools, of which around 4,000 of this children died while attending the schools (Thompson 33). This signifies that the schools were not the best of institutions for the native kids basing on the high death