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Chapter 43
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Firekeeper’s Daughter, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Justice
Generational Trauma and Bigotry
Ceremony, Pride, and Healing
Love, Honesty, and Respect
Coming of Age
Family and Community
Summary
Analysis
Daunis shows Dana in and gives her a paper bag to breathe into. Then, she makes Dana a cup of tea and pours one for herself when Dana says they have a lot to talk about. Daunis grimaces at her first sip—it tastes like the soap didn’t get all rinsed out—so she pours in more milk. Finally, Dana says that Levi is mixed up in something bad, and it has to do with Travis and Lily. She talks about him going to Sugar Island to talk sense into Travis; Daunis knows now that Levi went to pick up meth to distribute.
Daunis is pretty sure she knows what’s going on: Dana wants desperately to help her son, but she doesn’t have all the information to realize that Levi is actually the person responsible for the meth cell in the Sault. To Daunis, it appears as though Dana is preparing to ask Daunis to help her get Levi out of the meth cell.
Themes
As Dana describes how insistent and selfish Levi has become, Daunis finds that she can’t hear Dana anymore. She can just hear Ron’s voice in her head, asking if she’s seen Jamie. Dana says that a teacher came to visit her as Daunis excuses herself. But when Daunis gets up, she falls. Dana helps Daunis up and says that “All you Fontaines ever do is mess things up.” As they get in a pickup truck, Daunis realizes that Light Bulb’s mom wasn’t Angie Flint.
Finally, it’s revealed that Dana isn’t a caring parent and an ally to Daunis—rather, she too is involved in the meth cell. Noting that all Fontaines “mess things up” suggests that she’s responsible for David’s death too, and it becomes increasingly clear that Dana has drugged Daunis in order to kidnap her.
Themes
