My Name Is Not Easy

Craft an argument Luke’s mother might use to justify sending her sons to Sacred Heart. What does this reveal about outside pressures Native American communities face?

Analyze Luke’s character development throughout the novel. What important plot moments helped to progress Luke’s character? How is Luke characterized at the beginning of the book versus the end? What does Luke’s character development reveal about Dahl Edwardson’s larger theme or message?

Analyze Amiq’s characterization. How does his backstory inform this characterization? What is Amiq’s significance to the novel as a whole? What larger theme or message does Amiq represent?

Analyze Sonny’s characterization. How does his backstory inform this characterization? What is Sonny’s significance to the novel as a whole? What larger theme or message does Sonny represent?

Analyze Chickie’s characterization. How does her backstory inform this characterization? What is Chickie’s significance to the novel as a whole? What larger theme or message does Chickie represent?

Explain the significance of the narrator’s role in this story. What are the social justice implications of telling this story? How has the narrator maintained a responsibility to Indigenous people? Has the narrative succeeded or fallen short as a call to action?

Analyze Father Mullen’s characterization. What is his role in the novel? What larger theme or message does his character represent?

What role does language play in this novel? What larger theme or message does the conflict with language represent?