The Round House

by

Louise Erdrich

Bugger Pourier Character Analysis

Bugger Pourier is an alcoholic drifter who has returned to the reservation at the book’s beginning in order to spend time with his dying mother. After his mother passes away, Bugger hangs around the reservation drinking. At one point, Bugger steals Joe’s bike because he wants to go somewhere and find out if something he saw was a dream or was real. It is through this interaction that Joe later finds out that Bugger discovered Mayla Wolfskin’s body in the nearby construction site.
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Bugger Pourier Character Timeline in The Round House

The timeline below shows where the character Bugger Pourier appears in The Round House. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter Seven: Angel One
Chippewa Tradition vs. Catholicism Theme Icon
...cooler and clothes did not belong to the attacker, but to a local vagrant named Bugger Pourier. Joe apologizes as he backs up, then climbs the stairs. In his room, Joe... (full context)
Chapter Ten: Skin of Evil
Chippewa Tradition vs. Catholicism Theme Icon
Land, the Judicial System, and Justice Theme Icon
...of boarding school, and many, like Clemence, are actively devout. On Saturday, Joe sits with Bugger Pourier, an alcoholic and drifter, the only other person in the catechism class. Afterward, Joe... (full context)
Chippewa Tradition vs. Catholicism Theme Icon
Joe looks out the window and sees Bugger Pourier stealing his bicycle. He excuses himself from Linda’s company and catches up to Bugger,... (full context)
Chapter Eleven: The Child
Chippewa Tradition vs. Catholicism Theme Icon
...conscious. Joe thinks he could go see Grandma Thunder instead, but Joe then thinks of Bugger Pourier and remembers the last time he saw Bugger, when Bugger stole his bike outside... (full context)
Women, Bigotry, and Sexual Violence Theme Icon
Storytelling, Formality, and Writing Theme Icon
Land, the Judicial System, and Justice Theme Icon
Joe decides to look for Bugger to ask what he saw. At the post office, Linda tells Joe that Bugger is... (full context)