Code Switch

'The Characters Are The Light'

Nov 17, 2021
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ANECDOTE

Tookie's Introduction

  • Louise Erdrich's "The Sentence" features Tookie, an Indigenous woman and unreliable narrator.
  • Tookie, a convicted criminal turned bookseller, introduces herself bluntly, highlighting her flaws.
INSIGHT

Ugly as a Disclaimer

  • Tookie's self-deprecating description acts as a disclaimer, defying reader expectations.
  • Her "ugly" label subverts typical portrayals and challenges assumptions about beauty.
INSIGHT

Subverted Trope

  • Erdrich subverts the "Indian burial ground" trope by having a white ghost haunt Tookie.
  • This symbolizes the haunting weight of settler colonialism on Indigenous people.
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