Essay Questions

Are women’s rights emerging as one of the book's primary themes?

Cedar and Tia are the two main characters at the center of oppression by the Unborn Protection Society (UPS). UPS is a religious institution that detains all pregnant women and puts them in a confinement facility to ensure they do not abort. Cedar is caught and put in the confinement facility when she gets pregnant. While at the confinement facility, Cedar meets Tia, who is also detained against her will. The women in the confinement facility are denied their right to choose whether to carry a pregnancy to term or terminate it at will. Cedar and Tia are disgusted by UPS's decision to detain them. Unfortunately, Tia miscarries while running away. Consequently, UPS interferes with the freedom of American women by forcing them to stay in a confinement facility when they get pregnant.

What is the main paradox in ‘Future Home of the Living God’ by Louise Erdrich?

UPS has good intentions of ensuring that all unborn babies are delivered safely. However, detaining all pregnant women in a confinement facility against their will is paradoxical. For instance, when Cedar gets pregnant at 26, she is still confused and does not know what to do with her pregnancy. Cedar decides to hide from UPS because she knows that women are put in detention against their will. The main contradiction in UPS's objective is that it intentionally ignores the obvious risks that face pregnant women.

How does the author symbolize the oppression of women?

The main symbol of women's oppression in the entire book is the detention facility established by UPS to monitor pregnant women. UPS takes all pregnant women such as Cedar and Tia to the facility without their consent because it fears that most of them will abort if given their freedom. The harsh reality is that women in the detention facility are mishandled and are denied the freedom to determine their fate. Consequently, women are oppressed at the detention faculty despite UPS insisting that it has good intentions of saving lives.