ipl-logo

Louise Erdrich's The Round House

944 Words4 Pages

Going through a traumatizing event such as rape may alter a victim 's life, including those of their family. To recover from such an incident finding justice can be the best resort. Geraldine the victim in “The Round House” was raped and found covered in blood. Life on the reservation means that Geraldine will never be able to seek justice against her rapist. Her son, Joe, the protagonist in the novel further explains how he feels at the young age of thirteen. In the novel “The Round House” written by Louise Erdrich depicts the story from the perspective of Joe. Joe’s point of view outlines the development of his childhood. The themes of the novel tie together to tell the story of Geraldine 's rape. The novel “The Round House” incorporated three themes which include the discrimination on native women, the Judicial System, and having to grow up too quickly.
The novel opens with the first theme which sets the tone for the rest of the novel. Joe describes all the actions that are taken to help his mother. The family rushes to the hospital off the reservation to only encounter prejudice from other patients. At this point, there is a clear representation that those who do not live within the reservation are disrespectful towards the natives. When checking in a pregnant woman comes up to Joe and says “Don’t you Indian have your own hospital over there? Aren 't you building a new one?”. (Erdrich 8) The comment does not go over well with Joe. Making him feel remorse because he

Show More
Related

  • How Does Louise Erdrich Use Imagery In The Round House

    1083 Words  | 5 Pages

    The Round House is a novel written by Louise Erdrich. The main characters are Joe Coutts, Gerdaline Coutts, Judge Coutts, Cappy, Linden Lark, Linda Wishkob, Sonja, Uncle Whitey, Mooshum, Mayla Wolfskin, Father Travis, and Pearl. One day, Joe’s mother, Geraldine drove to her workplace to pick up a file after receiving a call from Mayla Wolfskin. When she reached her workplace, she was raped, kidnapped, and almost got killed. Later, devastated by the attack, she refused to leave her room.

    Read More

  • Summary Of In The Red Convertible By Louise Erdrich

    716 Words  | 3 Pages

    Response To The Red Convertible An illness or severe trauma does not only affect the person but it affects the people around the victim. “In the Red Convertible” by Louise Erdrich accurately describes the complex recovery from Henry returning back from the war. This story reminded me of when my mother was fighting depression because of the relationship, transformation, recovery and the reflection the story illustrates. Henry and Lyman in the beginning of the story is like my mom and I. We use to go out all the time to places such as Yosemite and amusement parks.

    Read More

  • Date Rape Victims In All The Rage By Courtney Summers

    1011 Words  | 5 Pages

    All the Rage by Courtney Summers is a novel about a rape victim named Romy that lost her respect because no one wanted to believe that the town’s golden boy Kellan Turner raped her. The night after she attended a party, she woke up with no memory of the previous night and news that her former best friend Penny Young was missing. There is a huge mystery to solve with Penny Young that raises many questions about date rape drugs, rape and death. All the Rage shows readers that society doesn’t allow rape victims a chance for rightful justice portrayed by the preconceived notions that surround the main Character Romy, the setting of the novel and the theme.

    Read More

  • Coming Of Age In Louise Erdrich's The Round House

    2338 Words  | 10 Pages

    The coming of age of a person could be at the age of twelve, or twenty, or forty – it all depends on each person’s ability to reach a certain level of maturity – not necessarily meaning when one is independent, but rather when one seems sensible and reliable. In terms of maturity, humans have different levels of development some mature faster, while others develop quite gradually. Most of the time, the experiences that one goes through determines the speed of the rate of the maturity of that person because past experiences affect the way that we make decisions that benefit ourselves, and the people around us. Louise Erdrich’s The Round House is a coming-of-age story about Joe Coutts, a thirteen-year-old Native American, who is thrust into adulthood

    Read More

  • Helen Hunt Jackson Ramona Sparknotes

    562 Words  | 3 Pages

    While reading “Ramona” one of the overarching themes in the novel is the mistreatment of Native Americans. The reason that Helen Hunt Jackson was able to write so much on this subject without having people criticize her for a biased view, is because the story of “Ramona” is based on the treatment of Native Americans. The prejudices that affected them in the 1800’s was horrific. The Native American were moved off their homelands, forced into a situation of being put into camps, and a lack of rights. This lack of rights is where Helen Hunt Jackson attempt to expose this mistreatment and abuse to the light.

    Read More

  • Themes Of Saga And Sioux

    648 Words  | 3 Pages

    The first theme shows how that native americans were treated badly. In the story, Brigadier General Patrick E. Connor announced in July that the Indians North of the platte River “must be hunted like dogs.” There were many times in the book where it locked like the Indians were being targeted by everyone. It said, “When the bluecoats gunfire grew too overwhelming, the Sioux would draw away”, so that shows that even after they tried to quit the bluecoats still fired. Even though they were treated like crap, They still didn’t give up.

    Read More

  • The Ripple Effect Of Systemic Failures In 'The Lost Girls'

    685 Words  | 3 Pages

    The young women were subjected to horrific abuse, including rape, beatings, and psychological torture. They were often kept in chains or locked in rooms for extended periods of time, and were only allowed to eat once a day. The book also highlights the long-term effects of this trauma, including PTSD, depression, and anxiety. Another important theme in The Lost Girls is the role of community in preventing and responding to crimes like these. The book shows how the Cleveland community rallied around the victims and their families after they were rescued, providing them with support and resources to help them recover.

    Read More

  • Saga Of The Sioux Nation Summary

    442 Words  | 2 Pages

    The first theme is how the Native Americans were treated badly. “Trader Andrew Myrick declared, “So far as I am concerned, if they are hungry let them eat grass or their own dung.” “The United States government did not bother to obtain consent.” They did not care if the Native Americans were treated badly, Myrick said if they were hungry they could eat grass or their own dung, and the United States did not even bother to obtain consent. The second theme is don’t give up and to fight for your rights.

    Read More

  • The All Too Human Gods Analysis

    486 Words  | 2 Pages

    The theme in this expository piece is that no one is perfect. The tone in this expository piece affects the theme because it shows the author's purpose, demonstrates the author’s attitude, and helps us understand the mood of the story.

    Read More

  • Conflict In The Roundhouse By Louise Erdrich

    737 Words  | 3 Pages

    It’s amazing how one event may have a big impact on your entire life. We see it firsthand, we witness it in movies and we seem to read about it in most coming-of-age books. We can easily observe how one major conflict significantly impacts the lives of many in Louise Erdrich’s “The Roundhouse”. Leaving some to experience dark moments and others with scars that will never go away. Our main protagonist Joe was just like any other 13-year-old.

    Read More

  • Literary Analysis Of Louise Erdrich's 'Captivity'

    957 Words  | 4 Pages

    Captivity is defined as the state of being imprisoned or confined. A tragic experience is given a whole new perspective from Louise Erdrich 's poem, “Captivity”. Through descriptive imagery and a melancholic tone, we can see the poem and theme develop in her words. Erdrich takes a quote from Mary Rowlandson’s narrative about her imprisonment by the Native Americans and her response to this brings readers a different story based off of the epigraph. Louise Erdrich compiles various literary devices to convey her theme of sympathy, and her poem “Captivity” through specific and descriptive language brings a whole new meaning to Mary Rowlandson’s narrative.

    Read More

  • Summary Of The Leap By Louise Erdrich

    555 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the short story “The Leap,” by Louise Erdrich, there are a few similarities in the first and third time the narrator’s mother owed her her life. In both events, the narrator’s mother, Anna, needs intense trapeze skills to survive and save loved ones. Another way in which the experiences are similar is that the characters have time to think when they are falling. Louise Erdrich presents these bookend events to capture our attention at the beginning of the story and to make us think at the end of the story.

    Read More

  • Bugger's Decisions In The Round House By Louise Erdrich

    1085 Words  | 5 Pages

    Louise Erdrich’s “The Round House” consists of many complex ideas and topics, many of which we were unable to touch on in class. One of the most important points in our readings I found was the scene when Joe realizes where Mayla’s body is and the character Bugger’s connection to this awareness. Although he appears in the novel only briefly, the five or so pages that involve Bugger and what he knows are some of the most significant pages in the entire book. What he knows and the decisions Joe makes about that information have made a very significant impact on the outcome of the story. Bugger first important scene happens while Joe is eating lunch with Linda at Mighty’s.

    Read More

  • Book Report: The Diary Of Anne Frank

    1101 Words  | 5 Pages

    Book Report Ms. Peggy French English 10A December 17 2015 The Diary of Anne Frank Book Report “The Diary of Anne Frank” is a diary written by a young Jewish girl named Anne Frank. She wrote this diary while in hiding with her family during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. This diary, which was originally written in Dutch was translated into 60 languages.

    Read More

  • Gender Stereotypes In Stephen King's Misery

    1456 Words  | 6 Pages

    Misery: Challenging Gender Stereotype Misery is the most thematically satisfying of all Stephen King’s novels. The theme this paper will explore further is that of King’s disturbing interpretation of gender roles. Gender stereotypes are what is thought of as societal norms dictating types of behaviour based on whether a person is a male or female. In popular literature gender stereotypes often see women as good, pure and innocent, whereas men are seen as strong and at times the evil beings, most often being the villain.

    Read More

More about Louise Erdrich's The Round House

Open Document