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Pauline Puyat
Margaret Kashpaw is an older Native American woman who is devoted to her children, though we only meet two of them: Eli and Nector. She discourages Eli’s romantic interest in Fleur, but embraces Fleur as her family after Lulu is born. Margaret believes in the ancient Native ways, but she is also a practicing Catholic. She initially gives Nanapush a hard time, but they come to accept each other as companions. Margaret shows great strength when she is attacked by Clarence Morrissey and Boy Lazarre. They cut off her braids, but she frees herself and Nanapush from them. Ultimately, Margaret uses the money that their family has raised to save only the Kashpaw land, when she was supposed to also save the Nanapush and Pillager allotments as well, causing Fleur to separate herself from Margaret, while Nanapush recognizes that he still needs Margaret so that he will have a place to live. Margaret serves as a balance of the old ways and new ways imposed by the whites. She values her land and her family, but recognizes when compromises must be made in regard to both.
Margaret Kashpaw Quotes in Tracks
The Tracks quotes below are all either spoken by Margaret Kashpaw or refer to Margaret Kashpaw. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 5
Quotes
I didn’t understand until Lazarre slouched and Clarence stood before Margaret, that this had to do with everything. The land purchase. Politics. Eli and Sophie. It was like seeing an ugly design of bruises come clear for a moment and reconstructing the evil blows that made them. Clarence would take revenge for Eli’s treatment of his sister by treating Eli’s mother in similar fashion.
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Chapter 9
Quotes
“Go to her. She saved my life twice and now she’s taken it twice back, so there are no more debts. But you, whom I consider my father, I still owe. I will not harm your wife. But I never will go to Kashpaw land.”
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Margaret Kashpaw Quotes in Tracks
The Tracks quotes below are all either spoken by Margaret Kashpaw or refer to Margaret Kashpaw. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 5
Quotes
I didn’t understand until Lazarre slouched and Clarence stood before Margaret, that this had to do with everything. The land purchase. Politics. Eli and Sophie. It was like seeing an ugly design of bruises come clear for a moment and reconstructing the evil blows that made them. Clarence would take revenge for Eli’s treatment of his sister by treating Eli’s mother in similar fashion.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 9
Quotes
“Go to her. She saved my life twice and now she’s taken it twice back, so there are no more debts. But you, whom I consider my father, I still owe. I will not harm your wife. But I never will go to Kashpaw land.”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
