Examples Of Selfish In Five Little Indians

The Destruction of Selfishness: Evaluating Relationships in “Five Little Indians”
The selfishness of authorities leads to the downfall of innocent people. This is something that has not been a rare occurrence throughout history. Those who had power created residential schools for their own benefit. Which led to unrepairable damage between those of authority and marginalized groups. The power dynamic between these groups led to the suffering of Indigenous People, demonstrated in the novel Five Little Indians by Michelle Good. The residential schools then further reinforced the Canadian government's assimilationist policies. By forcing Indigenous People to conform to "normal'' European society, resulted in unrepairable damage between the two

This confinement damages the characters' ability to make connections, and as a result, they are unable to reconnect with loved ones. Consequently, this leads to a detachment between the characters and their families. A character that demonstrates this disconnection is Maisie. She feels as though she is a stranger looking in from the outside: "I lasted a month. No matter how hard I tried, this place, their house, was no longer home, and these people, though kind and loving, were like strangers pretending to be family" (Good 59). The residential schools stole the children's childhood. Resulting in them being unable to bond with their families upon returning home. This early separation changes the relationship Maisie has with her family. Thus, when she returns "home," she feels out of place and uncomfortable. This discomfort is not uncommon, as every child who went to a residential school had the connection with their loved ones removed. Each character in the novel has little to no connection with their relatives. This provides further proof of the sacred relationship stolen from them because of the isolation of the schools. The creation of residential schools was because of the selfishness of the Canadian government who had the ideology of being the “superior” race. This ideology led to the traumatization of children, to the point where they could not connect with their own families. Not only did the

As a young child, Kenny is able to escape the school. Upon his return home his mother disregards him, as she is unable to move on. The connection that they once had together is strained. The distance that his mother creates between them leaves Kenny confused as he says, "‘What’s the matter, Mom? Aren’t you glad I’m home?’ She looked at him and tried to speak but could find no words . . . ‘I just don’t know what to do.’ Bella squeezed Kenny’s hand. ‘It’s like most of me is gone and I can’t get it back’" (Good 24-25). The discomfort that Kenny feels from their relationship leaves him feeling restless as a child. To escape from their strained relationship, Kenny constantly leaves home to work. His mother is unable to put the past behind her and, as a result, neglects her son. Kenny feels as though he is not enough because of this neglect. So, instead he works to provide for her so she can be proud of him. As a child, anytime he feels uncomfortable, he works. This need to always work negatively affects his relationships as he gets older. For instance, when he is in a relationship with Lucy, he stays for a few days and then leaves. His mother's absence from his life created this restlessness, and as a result he can never create meaningful connections with others. Additionally, because she is so focused on herself, she did not attempt to repair