My+Mother's+Curse+Upon+White+Settlers

Summary- At this point in the book ZS is on a trip westward, going home. Her and her mother are sitting out side under the stars in darkness just talking with each other. Mother tells ZS how the limits of the village are shrinking. She tells ZS how poor whiter settlers have moved into the river valley next to the village, how a bunch of palefaces rushed to the area to claim or in mothers eyes "steal" the native American land. As she’s telling ZS the story of the palefaces, many small fires light up in the distance. Mother explains how that those fires are coming from the cabins of the palefaces taking over the land. While looking at the palefaces light ZS’s mother tells her to beware of the palefaces. She blames the death of ZS’s sister and father on the pale faces. She tells how the palefaces in one hand give the holy papers but in another offers baptism by firewater. Finally she tells how the whites are hypocrites. They speak of peaceful assimilation but threat the Native Americans with hatred. Mother finally stands up and raises her hands into the air and sent a curse to the white settlers. She thrusts her hand towards the white camps with all her strength as if sending evil on the whites.- Billy Darling

Analysis- this chapter can be taken many ways, literal and interpretive. The literal comprehension is very simple. This chapter tells of why ZS’s mother hates the whites. However the interpretive comprehension is much deeper. In this chapter mother tells ZS why she hates them. My favorite part of this chapter in on pg. 93-94. Mother is explaining why she hates the whites. She says “ it is this same paleface who offers in one palm the holy papers, and with the other offers baptism by firewater. This says that the whites are trying to turn them to Christianity by are doing it in a way that is hard and painful to the Native Americans. The rest of her hate isn’t all as deep as the one I showed, but they all have their significance. The final part of the chapter is when mother sends a curse to the white settlers. I thought of this as more of a way for her to let out her feelings the anything else. She has built up all the hate in her bones for the white settlers and she finally lets it go and pretends to send a curse their way. This chapter is all about mother expressing and sharing her hate for the palefaces- Billy Darling