Page 209... The Novel Thus Far

So far (page 209) I’m enjoying The Round House. Rape is definitely a tough subject to handle, but I think that Louise Erdrich does a great job. She expresses the gravity of the situation that Joe’s family is in while still keeping the book light enough that it’s not impossible to read. Most of the books that I've read that deal with such painful issues seem so dense, like it’s just a huge moral lesson about humanity. It really gets us readers down-in-the-dumps to read that stuff. Yet, Erdrich does not come across as preachy or like those Animal Shelter commercials with the sad little puppies. She paints a realistic picture of a young boy struggling with his place in his family. Joe may have gone through something that few of us (thankfully) will ever be able to empathize with, but we all understand how it feels to feel a little left out and insecure. Which I think is a big part of Joe’s problem, when it gets down to heart of it. He’s upset when his mother slaps him, and wants to know that his father remembers him and thinks he’s grown-up enough to handle the truth.

We would like to wish that Joe's situation was unique, but it isn't. My mom sent me these PowerPoint slides about Native American victimization. The data is the most recent available for the American Indian population. The first slide is pretty self explanatory. The second shows the race of the people who perpetrated the crimes against the Native Americans. As you can see, Caucasians are the majority of the offenders. And what's really interesting is that Native Americans themselves are counted in the lightest gray column. 

Something in The Round House (that isn't as depressing as rape statistics) that I really like is how silly Joe and his friends are. They're vulgar, but sweet. I have never been a preteen boy, but I imagine many are like Joe and his friends. Some readers might be offended by the author's liberal use of crude sexual jokes, but mostly they're in good taste, only the very old and very young discussing it. Joe's parents seem much above all that. Joe's father seems like a very good role model for his son, but after his wife's rape, he seems a bit broken on the inside. I guess it always seems to come back to the rape. That's why there is a novel, after all. If it was just young boys telling each other titillating jokes about their grandparents, there wouldn't be much of a story.

Throughout the book Joe is faced with challenges that force him to mature. I had to remind myself that he is a 12 year old boy. The situations that he is put him is something I can’t imagine. With his family in turmoil he takes control and is so set on finding his mothers attacker he becomes independent. I think its a very powerful message about growing up. The book isn’t just one story it has multiple stories within it. I wonder if the stories being told are truly native american stories. They are like the stories we read at the beginning of the year with the humans and animals. More Native American stories could be researched.

Part of the book contains a pieces of racism with Linda Lark and the conservancy with being raised on the reservation with an Indian family. The tension between the people on the reservation and everyone else seems super harsh. The whites seem to think they are superior and should have control. With the question about who can and can’t do anything about Joes moms case. I think regarding certain things someone of high status should be in charge of what happens. No matter where a crime was taken place because things can’t always get done when they don’t have good resources.

The Assignment and the How-To

Hi Everyone,
In order to post, you need to click that Blogger logo in the upper left corner.  See it? The orange box with the squiggly thing in it?  Then, click on the pencil next to your blog title.  That will allow you to write your post.  When you are done, click "Publish."

Here's Your Assignment:

One thing that we have said repeatedly in our class is that American literature is an ongoing conversation about a few central topics.  These topics are ingrained in our national narrative, the story of who we are as people.  This week, you will begin thinking about topics that connect to this American narrative, and these topics will become the focus of your research after winter break.

To get you started generating topics for research, use your lit circle books.  I'd like two written responses from you this week, both posted to your group blog.  I also expect you to read and respond to each others' posts.  If you were to type your response in Word first, it would be about a page.  DO NOT JUST ANSWER A LIST OF MY QUESTIONS.  Instead, generate two or three paragraphs on the questions that interest you most.  The questions to consider:

• What do you like best about your book?  What do you like least?
• What was the most powerful part of the text?  The most exciting?
• Which of our central questions (American dream/possessions, nature, race and equality, individual power, etc.) does your text address most thoroughly?
• What questions does this book raise for you?  What does it make you wonder?
• What are some topics that you could research (based on your book)?
• What place do you think your text has in the body of American literature?
• How does the text "talk back" to some of the authors we've already read?
• What do you know about the author of your book?  Are you curious to know more about the author's story?