The Round House Analysis

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There comes a time when we all have to awaken our eyes to the real world because/due of/to the loss of innocence that can come from aging or from being forcibly driven out by experiences. In the book The Round House by Louise Erdrich, the choice to throw away innocence for the sake of justice is made. This is due to the constant restraints and complications created by the United States federal court and how the U.S law differentiates with tribal law. In the story, the protagonist’s, mother was brutally raped but was able to escape. After authorities find the offender, federal law prohibited any prosecution due to the court case of Oliphant v. Suquamish. This court case removes the natives’ inherited jurisdiction to prosecute non-natives for…show more content…
A wiindigoo could cast its spirit inside of a person. That person would become an animal, and see fellow humans as prey meat. That’s what was happening, her husband decided. He imagined that her eyes were starting to glow in the dark. The thing to do was you had to kill that person right away. But not before you had agreement in the matter. You couldn’t do it alone. There was a certain way the killing of a wiindigoo must be done. (Chapter Eight) A community agreement must be made to determine if a person is deserving of the death. After the crime, the whole community was affected and with that it is understood that Linden, the offender, must be punished. The understanding of Wiindigoo justice is more focused on traditional values like balance and harmony. With this understanding Joe choose to kill Linden to restore his communities balance. Erdrich is able to show how being subdued in a imperfect legal system might cause individuals to take matters into their own hands. Ultimately balance is restored but not without a price. Joe, only thirteen, has sacrificed his innocence in an attempt to regain some resemblance of his life before the rape. This would not come as everyone has been affected by the rape. Joe has grown more mature and his parents does not treat him as a child

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