Margaret Laurence’s “The Loons”, and in Emma Lee Warrior’s “Compatriots”, similarly display the many adversities of the Native civilization throughout Canadian history. Struggling to find their place in this world, the Natives are forced to integrate to the dominant culture. Although they battle to find who they truly are, the Natives remained determined to dictate how they should find their identity. In both short stories, the protagonists, Piquette and Lucy face many hardships towards their Native identity. This leads them isolated from their Native culture and their traditions. Margaret Laurence and Emma Lee Warrior both use similar themes, irony and symbolism to show that Native integrity is misconceived. The theme of the Native identity
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The symbols used not only represent the detachment from culture, but the process of doing so as well. In “The Loons”, the symbol used is the loon. At the end of the story, the loons fly away just like the Indian culture. Urbanization is one of the reasons that Indian culture is dying out, “the one store had become several dozen, and the settlement had all the attributes of a flourishing resort - hotels, a dancehall, cafes with neon signs” (Laurence 119). Many adjustments occur to the area, that the Native culture is being pushed away. Another modification that occurs is, “Galloping Mountain was now a national park, and Diamond Lake had been re-named Lake Wapakata” (Laurence 119). This is significant as the government is selling the Indian culture and believes that giving the park an Indian name would attract more …show more content…
Helmut Walking Eagle is a German who turned Indian. Hilda, another German, thinks that Helmut knows a lot about the Native culture and that he has been accepted into the Native religious society, but according to the Indians,
“That guy’s just a phony. How could anybody turn into something else? Huh? I don’t think I could turn into a white man if I tried all my life. They wouldn 't let me, so how does that German think he can be an Indian. White people think they can do anything - turn into Chinese or Indian - they 're crazy” (Warrior 174).
Most of the Natives did not like Helmut and wish that he would just disappear from their community. Helmut has written a book called Indian Medicine, A Revival of Ancient Cures and Ceremonies. This book symbolizes that Helmut is also trying to sell Indian culture, just like the town in “The Loons”. Helmut uses his novel for selfish reasoning like to become wealthier and to attract
The symbols used not only represent the detachment from culture, but the process of doing so as well. In “The Loons”, the symbol used is the loon. At the end of the story, the loons fly away just like the Indian culture. Urbanization is one of the reasons that Indian culture is dying out, “the one store had become several dozen, and the settlement had all the attributes of a flourishing resort - hotels, a dancehall, cafes with neon signs” (Laurence 119). Many adjustments occur to the area, that the Native culture is being pushed away. Another modification that occurs is, “Galloping Mountain was now a national park, and Diamond Lake had been re-named Lake Wapakata” (Laurence 119). This is significant as the government is selling the Indian culture and believes that giving the park an Indian name would attract more …show more content…
Helmut Walking Eagle is a German who turned Indian. Hilda, another German, thinks that Helmut knows a lot about the Native culture and that he has been accepted into the Native religious society, but according to the Indians,
“That guy’s just a phony. How could anybody turn into something else? Huh? I don’t think I could turn into a white man if I tried all my life. They wouldn 't let me, so how does that German think he can be an Indian. White people think they can do anything - turn into Chinese or Indian - they 're crazy” (Warrior 174).
Most of the Natives did not like Helmut and wish that he would just disappear from their community. Helmut has written a book called Indian Medicine, A Revival of Ancient Cures and Ceremonies. This book symbolizes that Helmut is also trying to sell Indian culture, just like the town in “The Loons”. Helmut uses his novel for selfish reasoning like to become wealthier and to attract