Summary
Young Omakayas, a member of the Ojibwe tribe on an island of Lake Superior, continues daily life, even when her home is threatened by incoming “chimookomanag,” or white people.
Critical Analysis
When researching her own ancestry, Louise Erdrich was inspired to write the story of The Birchbark House, and its sequel, The Game of Silence. The Game of Silence is authentic to the time period and reflects the history of the white people claiming the land of the Native Americans. Erdrich weaves the daily life, as well as the customs and traditions of the Ojibwe tribe into the story. The reader gets a true picture of what life was like for the Native Americans. The characters of the story add to the authenticity of the story. The main character, Omakayas, is easily relatable to readers. Even though her way of life is very different than what children face today, her actions still resonate into today’s society. For example, she is plagued by her pesky little brother that does just about anything to annoy her. Also, Omakayas makes mistakes just like young adults do, like when she decided to pick the rice before the rice boss said it was ready. Omakayas’ character directs and guides the plot. All of the action of the story revolves around Omakayas and her reactions to the world and how she grows and changes in the year the story takes place.
The setting of the novel also adds to the realism of the story. The novel takes place when white people were starting to enter the land of the Native Americans. Omakayas even forms a friendship with a white girl, whom she calls “The Break-Apart Girl,” because it looks like she will break apart at the waist due to the style of her dress.
There are multiple themes woven throughout The Game of Silence that make the story engaging and relatable. Omakayas struggles to find her place in her tribe, which she eventually finds, despite the rivalry she has with another tribe member. Omakayas also learns that being with the people that she loves is more important than where they are located.
Erdrich adds to the authenticity of the story by including words that were used by the Ojibwe tribe. She even includes a glossary that defines the words. In the Author’s Note, Erdrich apologizes to the reader for any mistakes she may have made with the language, even though she used reliable resources.
Review Excerpt and Awards
Like its predecessor “The Birchbark House” (1999), this long-awaited sequel is framed by catastrophe, but the core of the story, which is set in 1850, is white settlers' threats to the traditional Ojibwe way of life. Omakayas is now nine and living at her beautiful island home in Lake Superior. But whites want Ojibwe off the island: Where will they go? In addition to an abundance of details about life through the seasons, Erdrich deals with the wider meaning of family and Omakayas' coming-of-age on a vision quest. Just on the edge of the child's daily life and coming ever closer are the whites--among them, a Catholic "soul-stealer" priest and a friendly teacher who helps the children learn to read and write both Ojibwe and English so that they can confront cheating white agents. Readers familiar with the first book will welcome the return of several richly drawn nonreverential characters, including Omakayas' pesky brother, her irritable mom, and her bold, tough mentor, Old Tallow. As Erdrich said in the Booklist Story Behind the Story, "Little House on the Lake" [BKL Ap 1 99], about “The Birchbark House,” her research into her ancestors revealed the horrifying history and also a culture rich, funny, and warm. In this heartrending novel the sense of what was lost is overwhelming. Hazel Rochman, Booklist
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Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction, 2006
Strengths and Weaknesses
The strength of The Game of Silence is in how relatable the main character is to young readers. Omakayas has a pesky brother, an older sister she admires, a mom that corrects her when she gets in trouble, and a tribe member that she has a rivalry with. This is very similar to what young readers face today. Most readers will be able to see a piece of themselves in Omakayas.
The main weakness of the book is that it is a sequel. The reader will have a greater understanding of the characters if they read The Birchbark House first because this will build greater background knowledge and understanding of the characters.
Personal Response and Connections
This is one of the first historical fiction novels for young readers that I really did not enjoy. I had trouble engaging with story and with the characters. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had read The Birckbark House first. One part of the story I did enjoy was how Erdrich told the reader what happens to Omakayas after the novel ends. Instead of an epilogue, the future of Omakayas is revealed in a dream she has. She sees herself growing old and surrounded by family. After her dream, the story tells of Omakayas and her tribe leaving their land, but the reader knows what her future holds and the hope she has.
This novel would be an excellent supplement to the western expansion through the perspective of the Native Americans. With many history lessons, we see how the white people claimed the land without addressing how the Native Americans would have felt. Students can then write about how they would feel if they were kicked out of their homes.
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