The Rez Sister Sparknotes

Wiktoria Bladek

Lavorato. C

NBE3U1-03

4 October 2016 The Rez Sister Essay

Tomson Highways play, The Rez Sisters, presents the reader with seven related women living in Wasaychigan Hill, the play shares their perspective and their struggle of finding true identity, often relating back to traumatic experiences. The play is focused around their struggle of abuse, alcoholism, and poor living conditions. The reservation is their home, that is why they find it difficult to abandon it. However they know they have to leave in order to create a better life for themselves. The biggest bingo in the world sparks their interest to leave the reserve and go to Toronto. The car

Each woman has her own idea of what winning the bingo will provide them. Veronique dreams of having the biggest stove on the reservation, Pelajia wants to build paved roads for her community, Marie-Adele fantasizes over having the most beautiful island. Philomena hopes for a brand-new toilet seat. These simple dreams are overlooked on the reserve, In the book there seems to be one way of living, and it is by being in constant struggle. The dirt roads can symbolize many things in the story one of them being how difficult it is to get out, the path to freedom is the dirt road, it's difficult and can be harmful. Even when the women leave to go to Toronto they face many difficulties like a flat car tire, this demonstrates how impossible it is impossible to leave their society. Marie-Adele's dream is to live on a island disconnected from the negative things she faces on the reserve, like her cancer as wells as taking care of her husband Eugene, and 14 children. An island is a land structure surrounded by water, it is usually far apart from populated area, this can be a sign that Marie dreams of a escape where she can live peacefully. Each women does not fulfill their dreams in the play, but the most important part on the rez is that they have each other, they go through all the difficult times together, because they know that is the only thing the reservation has to

The rape is a symbol of a diminished culture, usually the screwdriver is a tool used to fix various things, in this situation it's used to destroy and corrupt the native culture. According to the play, Zhaboogin name means “Needle…Going-through-thing.”(Highway 47). Zhaboogin’s name is perhaps an indication to her rape. Highway does not manifest a accomplished community or calm society, but rather a environment that is disrespectful and diminishing. The Rez is not a safe environment. The biggest bingo in the world is the only thing that makes them want to leave their homes behind, the unfortunate thing is that by the end of the book the rez sisters are back where they started, sitting by the roof hanging shingles, this is a sign that no matter how hard they try to escape they will always end up on the