Criticism (Entry 3)

So far in the book, I feel that Joseph Boyden shows a cynical attitude towards the wemistikoshiw, or the white men, through his use of language and the structure of the novel. Boyden starts us off in the beginning of the novel with Xavier's aunt trying to find her nephew. We see, in her perspective, her fears of the white people. The imageries and literary devices that are used to describe the city that she is in conveys to us a sense of harsh and rude abruptance. Furthermore, the idea that the father of Xavier's aunt is taken away by white men from and imprisoned does not give the readers a very favourable impression on the wemistikoshiws either. Besides the plot and structure, the use of language is also aplplie by Boyden. Hints are dropped to us constantly in the book about the negativety of the English language. For example, when Elijah tells a lie to Xavier, he speaks in the English tongue. Xavier believes the reason for this is because the English tongue is better for speaking lies. The cynical attitude of Boyden can be interepreted as a critism for the white men and the English language. On the other hand, it can be interepreted as a resistance to assimilation and a dignified attempt to preserve Aboriginal culture.