April Raintree: Unravelled
Mankind’s infinitive quest is to answer the great question of the human experience, the meaning of life. One might come across the meaning of life in search for their identity. April Raintree explores the challenges that Aboriginal people endure in developing a positive sense of self. Beatrice Culleton establishes the struggle of Native image through two sisters, April and Cheryl Raintree. The novel begins with April and Cheryl‘s removal from their home due to their parents neglectful behaviour. Both girls experience victimization from various situations, resulting in a damage of identity. Culleton develops the theme regarding the loss of identity through April and Cheryl’s unstable upbringing, the conflict of Native stereotypes and the objectification of women.
Identity crisis stems from being brought up in a broken household. April Raintree seeks to illustrate the idea of how alcoholism can diminish one’s identity. Both April and Cheryl received negative parental influence due to their parents excessive intake of alcohol. Therefore April and Cheryl did not have a positive moral figure to follow for the majority of their…show more content… She begins to lose herself in the business of prostitution. The once innocent, knowledge-thirsty Cheryl turns to exploiting her body as a means of coping with problems. When April discovers Cheryl is a prostitute and Cheryl response is to flee, it is evident that Cheryl is not secure enough with herself to explain her sudden outburst of behaviour to April. The logic behind Cheryl’s intentions was a cry for help. She felt desolated and had given up on life at this point in the novel. Cheryl’s feelings of nothingness directly reflect the theme of identity loss. Identity loss is so apparent that Cheryl cannot deal with herself any longer so she eventually commits suicide. This showcases the accumulation of all the aspects that lead to a loss of