76 pages • 2 hours read
A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Death is a symbol of transition in this story. When characters die, they transition from the physical world to the spiritual world but remain capable of participating in the physical world. When Isaac dies and transitions to the spiritual world, the other ghosts “wanted me to know that we were still Choctaws, always Choctaws, and that games and hunting and fishing still happen, even in the world of Choctaw ghosts” (86). Similarly, Mister Jonah explains, “Our lives are over, but we can still help the living” (44). Death also marks the transition from the world of vulnerability to the world of immortality. After Nita’s death, Isaac explains, “The soldiers could kill anyone they wanted, at any time they wanted. But we didn’t fear for Nita. She was a ghost. She could take care of herself now” (68). Isaac notices the same transition upon his own death.
Treaty Talk is a symbol of the Choctaws’ inevitable defeat and the Nahullos’ inevitable victory. Isaac explains, “We were nice to them, and they were nice to us. But Treaty Talk always meant something else, and that something else was never nice” (3).
Plus, gain access to 8,600+ more expert-written Study Guides.
Including features:
Books About Art
View Collection
Books on U.S. History
View Collection
Colonialism & Postcolonialism
View Collection
Community
View Collection
Indigenous People's Literature
View Collection
Juvenile Literature
View Collection
Magical Realism
View Collection
Mortality & Death
View Collection
School Book List Titles
View Collection
Sexual Harassment & Violence
View Collection