"Wolfsong" by Louis Owens
Dillon Hunt
In the novel "Wolfsong" by Louis Owens, Tom is searching for his lost Indian identity. I quickly recognized this when Tom finds his self in a torn position as to what an Indian really is. Although Tom is of Native American heritage, the book never specifically states which tribe he or his family is from. Tom's main quest is that He has to find out what it is that makes him Indian. Whether it be through nature, spirituality, or tribal origins.
The novel begins in a mine in northern Washington. Right off the bat Tom's uncle Jim is seen trying to protect the land he loves from being destroyed by developers. This is one of the many ways that the novel shows the reader the connection that nature has on a Native American's Identity. Tom and his family are the last Indians of their valley. The novel is written in a way to show the reader how difficult a situation it is for Tom to find his Indian Identity. His mother helps as much as she can, she does play a big part in his Identity quest, but she is very down and dying. …show more content…
Nature is sort of like an Indian's religion. A quote from his mother really stood out to me in the novel. She said "Indians used to know how to live so's we didn't destroy our mother earth. We had to live that way because we knew we would always be here. I think white people treat the earth like they do because they think they'll only be here a little while." (Owens, pg.77) I think his mother really show's him the strong bond that Indians have with the land. This quote shows the reader the connection of spirituality, and nature. This is important because she shows Tom how important the land is to the Indian spirit. It also shows a contrast between the white and Indian culture. She offers Tom some insight on why the white culture treats the land the way that they do, at the same time she is showing Tom how sacred nature is to an Indian's
Dillon Hunt
In the novel "Wolfsong" by Louis Owens, Tom is searching for his lost Indian identity. I quickly recognized this when Tom finds his self in a torn position as to what an Indian really is. Although Tom is of Native American heritage, the book never specifically states which tribe he or his family is from. Tom's main quest is that He has to find out what it is that makes him Indian. Whether it be through nature, spirituality, or tribal origins.
The novel begins in a mine in northern Washington. Right off the bat Tom's uncle Jim is seen trying to protect the land he loves from being destroyed by developers. This is one of the many ways that the novel shows the reader the connection that nature has on a Native American's Identity. Tom and his family are the last Indians of their valley. The novel is written in a way to show the reader how difficult a situation it is for Tom to find his Indian Identity. His mother helps as much as she can, she does play a big part in his Identity quest, but she is very down and dying. …show more content…
Nature is sort of like an Indian's religion. A quote from his mother really stood out to me in the novel. She said "Indians used to know how to live so's we didn't destroy our mother earth. We had to live that way because we knew we would always be here. I think white people treat the earth like they do because they think they'll only be here a little while." (Owens, pg.77) I think his mother really show's him the strong bond that Indians have with the land. This quote shows the reader the connection of spirituality, and nature. This is important because she shows Tom how important the land is to the Indian spirit. It also shows a contrast between the white and Indian culture. She offers Tom some insight on why the white culture treats the land the way that they do, at the same time she is showing Tom how sacred nature is to an Indian's