The Shawl by Louise Erdrich: Summary, Analysis, Meaning

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The Shawl, written by Louise Erdrich, portrayed various forms of trauma in early childhood. The narration of the story signifies how the child can heal oneself as the words are reflective of the experience and the gravity of the wounds (Erdrich).
In all kinds of traumatic experiences, physical, verbal, or emotional, the victims frequently cannot express themselves to explain the circumstances. Moreover, they are contained in a box of a never-ending situation of fear, anxiety, or angler. The victim’s mind often reflects on these events, which makes oneself stay in that box forever. The constant reminder of the events leads to pain infliction, culpability, and indignity.
The story was set in the Anishinaabeg community, an American-Indian community, where alcoholism and its adverse effects on society are prevalent. The narration revolves around the life of a boy who suffered from neglect and trauma during his childhood. Together with his sister, his mother left him and his father to reconcile with the man he truly loves. During her mother and sister’s travel, they were attacked by wolves. However, the mother opted to sacrifice his sister as bait for the wolves for her to survive, or at least, this was what he believed happened (Erdrich).
The boy did not immediately understand this. Eventually, he came to its understanding, and the emotional health of the boy deteriorated progressively. He began drinking to compensate for his loneliness (Erdrich).
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