As the Americans advanced counterclockwise around the great waiting room, Indians melted away before them, looking sadly over their shoulders or turning their backs entirely as if to walk straight into the wood…
-- Narrator (chapter 3)

Importance: The narration surrounding Augustus’ sons’ decisions to join World War 1 focuses heavily on themes of Native American oppression and the value, or lack thereof, of violence. This description of a mural at the train station waiting area encapsulates the issues that Native Americans faced in the past and still face today. The longing for what was and the erasure of culture exhibited in this quote is echoed throughout the novel in many of the characters’ actions and emotions as they grapple with their identity. It also ties into the issue of violence discussed in the pages prior to this quote. Erdrich frames the narrative around violence with her own opinions, encouraging the reader to view it as...