Frick
Frick promises David's mother that he will be available to support her and her children. David's mother and Frick are having an affair, but she does not know that everything he does is only for convenience. Shockingly, Frick is a half-hearted man who makes himself unavailable for the young David, who needs a father figure in his life. Therefore, Frick is an ironic character who never accomplishes whatever he promises, and his primary goal is attaining convenience when around David's mother.
The irony of life
When David was a child, he believed that life would change. On the reservation, life is hard, and poverty is immeasurable. However, David is optimistic that things will change when he matures. Ironically, things even become worse when David becomes an adult. In his early 20s, David realizes that he is hopeless. He joins his friend Fellis, and they start smoking and drinking alcohol. Most of the time, David and his friend are free and engage in unproductive activities. Consequently, the author shows readers that living on the reservation is extremely hard because it is hard to escape from poverty.
Drug addiction
Readers cannot ignore that drug addiction in the reservation is a result of hopelessness. Like David's mother, most people believe smoking can help them forget about their troubles and have a good sleep. However, drug addiction adds more problems than it can solve them. When David's mother is put in a crisis destabilization unit, she asks David to bring her cigarettes to help her have some sleep. David and his friend Fellis are addicts, but drugs never solve their problems. Therefore, drug addiction is never the solution to what the people in the reservation are going through.
