85 pages • 2 hours read
The Birchbark House
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Essay Topics
Old Tallow is an enigmatic figure in the story of Omakayas and her family. What makes Old Tallow’s relationship with the family important? How does the reader’s impression of Old Tallow evolve over the course of the story?
Nokomis and Deydey use stories both to entertain and to help preserve an awareness of the family’s culture and heritage. How do Deydey’s and Nokomis’s stories relate to the broader themes and events of the novel?
Omakayas’s character is reflected through her relationships with her siblings. How do these relationships change over the course of the novel? What do we learn about Omakayas through her interactions with her brothers and sister?
Despite being (mostly) mute, Andeg demonstrates a great deal of personality through his interactions with the family and the broader community. How does this novel illustrate the character of Andeg, and how does Andeg help us to understand other characters in the novel better?
In this novel, Anishinabe culture is often suffused with joy and love. How do elements of their culture help the book’s characters to express and explore their love for one another?
How does nature factor into the everyday lives of the novel’s characters? Is nature ultimately a benign or a hostile force in their lives?
The family lives in two different kinds of shelter: a traditional birchbark house in the summer and a chimookoman (white man’s) cabin in the winter. How does each shelter, and the events associated with each, help to illustrate the themes of this book?
Omakayas appears to possess the power to commune with animals, including bears and birds. How does this communication manifest, and what is its significance for Omakayas’s personal development?
Dreams take on considerable significance for several characters inThe Birchbark House. How do LaPautre, Nokomis, and Omakayas experience dreams differently from one another, and why?
The threat of white settlers encroaching on Ojibwa territory looms throughout this novel. What impact can the family and their community already feel from the European settlers, and how do the characters react to this reality?
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By Louise Erdrich
