Survivance in The Round House
North Dakota is a sovereignty nightmare. A world so foreign to most Americans, riddled with poverty and the remnants of cultures attacked by the “American way”. The Round House, by Louise Erdrich, paints a picture of life at a Chippewa reservation in the late 1980’s. In this tribe, the members speak Ojibwe in addition to English, which is a part of the Algic language family. The story of The Round House reflects upon modern and past issues in regards to American Indian affairs, it shows the divide between cultures, as well as the assimilation that has taken place. The difference between older characters such as Mooshum and the young teenage boys that the story revolves around is evident. Unfortunately, the Reservation …show more content…
Bazil, Joe’s father, the tribal judge of the reservation, is immediately defeated after he hears of his wife’s rape. Bazil almost represents the shortcomings of justice in the story. As a judge, he is bound by the law, even if at points it seems trivial. Although he would like complete, fair justice for his wife, he is unable to attain it due to his position and responsibility to the court of law. Bazil’s position of justice winds up defeating his ability to help Geraldine, and subsequently his mental well-being. If he was to do anything in order to impose his own justice, the jurisdiction of the tribe would be called into question. The inability of his father to create any sort of positive result keeps Joe in a state of responsibility to his mother throughout The Round House. While Joe and Bazil hope for a day where justice can be more easily attained, they face an unbalanced reality. The sacred round house, the place where Joe’s mother suffered from that atrocious crime, was built as a symbol of restorative justice. “They’d built that place to keep their people together and to ask for mercy from the Creator, since justice was so sketchily applied on earth”
North Dakota is a sovereignty nightmare. A world so foreign to most Americans, riddled with poverty and the remnants of cultures attacked by the “American way”. The Round House, by Louise Erdrich, paints a picture of life at a Chippewa reservation in the late 1980’s. In this tribe, the members speak Ojibwe in addition to English, which is a part of the Algic language family. The story of The Round House reflects upon modern and past issues in regards to American Indian affairs, it shows the divide between cultures, as well as the assimilation that has taken place. The difference between older characters such as Mooshum and the young teenage boys that the story revolves around is evident. Unfortunately, the Reservation …show more content…
Bazil, Joe’s father, the tribal judge of the reservation, is immediately defeated after he hears of his wife’s rape. Bazil almost represents the shortcomings of justice in the story. As a judge, he is bound by the law, even if at points it seems trivial. Although he would like complete, fair justice for his wife, he is unable to attain it due to his position and responsibility to the court of law. Bazil’s position of justice winds up defeating his ability to help Geraldine, and subsequently his mental well-being. If he was to do anything in order to impose his own justice, the jurisdiction of the tribe would be called into question. The inability of his father to create any sort of positive result keeps Joe in a state of responsibility to his mother throughout The Round House. While Joe and Bazil hope for a day where justice can be more easily attained, they face an unbalanced reality. The sacred round house, the place where Joe’s mother suffered from that atrocious crime, was built as a symbol of restorative justice. “They’d built that place to keep their people together and to ask for mercy from the Creator, since justice was so sketchily applied on earth”