So I said, "Hey, Dad, it's just a ghost. We can get rid of it."
Ghosts and other supernatural figures are recurring motifs throughout the novel. Following Geraldine's attack, Joe's naivety is entirely shattered. Joe's belief in ghosts and his experiences with supernatural visions are results of his vulnerability—Joe is trying to piece together his world after his reality has disintegrated. In this way, ghosts represent the enduring, haunting effects of trauma. Joe's tone in the above quote is a nod to his former sense of innocence. Although Joe wants to resolve his problems quickly, it will take years for him to heal from the trauma he experiences.
"Would it help if we had a woman? To talk? We can get a female agent to drive over from our Memphis office."
Following Geraldine's attack, numerous men force her to share the details of the crime. Geraldine, still reeling from the unexpected act of violence, is unable to describe what has happened to her. Agent Bjerke has a flippant attitude that seems to allude to his frustration with "hysterical women." His use of the phrase "to talk" is demeaning and reflects his inability to sympathize or connect with Geraldine. Joe notices how Agent Bjerke treats his mother's case, and he grows increasingly frustrated at the government's malpractice surrounding the crimes in which Native Americans are victims.
"I realized that my deceits were of no consequence, as I was dedicated to a purpose which I'd named in my mind not vengeance but justice."
In this quote, Joe changes his perspective surrounding his decision to murder Linden Lark. After he learns about wiindigoo justice from Mooshum, Joe has a moral and cultural basis for pursuing his plan. Previously, Joe had been concerned about his motivations for killing Linden—was he motivated by vengeance, and would he be eternally haunted by an unwavering sense of guilt? However, as time progresses, Geraldine's case stays unsolved, and Linden remains able to roam freely in society without consequence. Joe realizes that the only way he can bring justice to Geraldine and Mayla—and prevent further harm from occurring—is to take matters into his own hands.
I had prepared to answer this question and to answer it the way the old Joe from before this summer would answer. I spoke childishly, in a sudden fury of excitement that wasn't fake.
After Joe and Cappy murder Linden Lark, the protagonist is deeply affected by his own actions. Although the plan has been meticulously thought through and rehearsed, Joe is still shocked by the finality of Linden's death. Perhaps it is because he must now face the trauma of healing. Joe attempts to tap into his "former self," a teenager characterized by a confidence informed by ignorance and naivety. However, Joe is ultimately unable to hide his fears and anxiety.
The best thing for me to do was forget.
Once again, we see how trauma has affected Joe and changed his character significantly. This quote is ridden with irony, because although Joe wishes to forget everything that has happened over the past few months, these events are inexplicably woven into who he is.
He used the push mower the way most his age would use a walker, but incidentally clipping the yard down to the nub.
In this excerpt, Joe watches Mooshum and remarks on his tenacity. Through this description, it is clear that there is a tone of reverence towards Mooshum. Joe's grandfather is characterized as an almost mythical figure, defying the constraints of aging and time. Joe's admiration for Mooshum affects how he relates to the stories and wisdom his grandfather shares. Ultimately, Joe takes Mooshum's words seriously, and they affect his choices as he navigates his life.
I was thinking something of this sort: that deep red of her lips, if it were printed on me, kissed on me, would become a burning solidified blood that would brand itself into my flesh and leave a black seared brand shaped like the lips of a woman.
In this quote, Joe describes Sonja. Joe's relationship with Sonja evolves greatly throughout the novel. As his aunt, Sonja initially assumes a maternal role following Geraldine's attack. However, Sonja quickly becomes the object of Joe's affection. Joe becomes more outwardly expressive of his sexual attraction towards Sonja, which upsets Sonja greatly. As a former stripper, Sonja is incessantly sexualized by the men in her own family, and she has long endured abuse. When Joe begins to see Sonja less as a mother and more as a woman, she abandons the family.
I could see a part of something larger, an idea, a truth, but just a fragment. I could not see the whole, but just a shadow of that way of life.
In this quote, Joe reflects on Mooshum's story about Nanapush and the buffalo. This story affects Joe greatly, as he begins to identify with its main characters and see a solution to his current problems. Joe starts to imagine what life would be like if Linden Lark was dead, and it appears to give him hope for a brighter future.
Every time I look at [the gold tassel], I am reminded of the way I treated Sonja and about the way she treated me, or about how I threatened her and all that came of it, how I was just another guy. How that killed me once I really thought about it. A gimme-gimme asshole. Maybe I was. Still, after I thought about it for a long time—in fact, all my life—I wanted to be something better.
The motif of guilt and the theme of coming-of-age are especially apparent in this quote. Decades after the story's events have taken place, Joe continues to regret his adolescent actions and behaviors. He begins to consider his place as a cis man in society, and he thinks about how he has caused violence and pain to women in his life. Although Joe regrets how he has behaved in the past, he has learned from his mistakes and grown from them.
The ghost had brought me here. I had seen him in the field as I held Cappy—my ghost bent over me...
The theme of ghosts and the supernatural appears in this quote. As Joe processes the trauma of Cappy's death in the car accident, he is overcome by a vision of a ghost. This is a pattern that happens throughout the novel–when Joe is faced with something traumatic, he sees ghosts. In a way, the appearance of ghosts connects Joe to the past, present, and future. Although Joe is reeling from the death of his friend, he also finds comfort in his spiritual presence.
