The Berry Pickers

“My mother, through no fault of her own, has come to love the church, the elaborate ceremonies replacing the ones torn from her heart during a childhood she rarely mentioned.”

This passage speaks to the theme of Assimilationist Policy and Loss of Culture. Part of Canada’s assimilationist policy was to make sure that young Indigenous people were exposed to Catholicism from an early age. This separated them from the cultural beliefs of their parents and made assimilation easier. Joe’s mother fell victim to this practice and, as an adult, embraces Catholicism as her faith.

“I think I’ve always known that something was out of place. But when I was young, I understood it was me.”

This passage speaks to Norma’s characterization and to the devastating lie that is at the core of her family. Although she has no proof that she does not belong and is not even sure what she should suspect her parents of having done, she knows that something about their family is not right. She further believes that she is what is “out of place,” demonstrating strong instincts and the pull of Indigenous Family Bonds.

“My early childhood was defined by scent. Campfire and boiling potatoes at night, and Ivory soap and whiskey that she didn’t think I knew about by day.”

This passage speaks to Norma’s true parentage. She dreams of the sights, smells, sounds, and people of her true family. Her white parents cannot entirely erase who she is, and she does not have a relationship with them that is truly deep and loving. Her own mother, although she does not remember it, cares deeply for her children. Lenore is too worried that Norma will be taken from her to focus as much of her attention on her daughter as she should. At night, the scents of Norma’s past remind her of her true life and identity, and by day, she breathes in the smells of her white mother’s name-brand soap and whiskey, which Lenore tries to keep secret.

“Ruthie ain’t dead, Mae.”

Joe and his mother never give up on Ruthie. Their family is fiercely bonded, and something in them can feel that Ruthie is alive. This speaks to the importance of Indigenous Family Bonds within this narrative and to their family’s cohesive nature in particular. Joe will spend years believing that his sister will come back to him, and by the end of the novel, she does.

“I lived my entire childhood in the shadow of infant ghosts.”

This passage speaks to Norma’s mother’s characterization. She is an anxious, difficult woman who cannot get over the loss of several pregnancies. It seems as though she might have taken Ruthie to make up for her loss, and her act of selfishness stands in stark contrast to the tight, cohesive bond shared by Ruthie’s true family. Further, Lenore’s losses make her unable to fully love and embrace the child she has stolen. Interestingly, when Norma later miscarries, she decides not to try for more children because she would only think of this lost child, thus highlighting the great difference between Norma and Lenore.

“Mother, why am I not in this photo?”

Here, it begins to be obvious that Lenore is hiding the truth from Norma, and Norma begins to search for answers to her questions. She will figure out that she is “adopted” years before June tells her the truth, and Norma’s quest for self-knowledge can be understood as part of the journey back to her family.

“I only knew Indians from middle school textbooks and appearances on television. In my narrow understanding, the entire history and existence of Indians comprised war-hungry savages, medicine men, and Pocahantas.”

This passage speaks to the theme of The Impact of Anti-Indigenous Racism. So much of what white Canadians know about Indigenous people is filtered through the racist lenses of education and media. Even Norma knows very little about Indigenous communities. This is a broader metaphor for the way that assimilationist policies and cultural practices seek to rob Indigenous people of self-knowledge and dignity.

“Can you grab me those little boots, the ones with the doll stuffed in them?”

This passage shows the symbolic importance of Ruthie’s boots and doll. Joe and his mother never give up on Ruthie; they are sure that she is alive somewhere. They hold on to the boots and doll in the same way that they hold onto the hope that they will see Ruthie again.

“Neither of us was able to find anyone to love, or at least anyone who stuck around. Seemed like we were cursed.”

Family is incredibly important to this set of characters, and this passage shows how damaging losing family members is to the group as a whole. After losing Ruthie and Charlie, they all struggle to manage the aftereffects of their trauma, and this unhappiness manifests in multiple ways. This speaks to the themes of Grief and Guilt and Indigenous Family Bonds.

“I found it strange that no word exists for a parent who loses a child.”

This passage speaks to the theme of Grief and Guilt. Many of these characters are marked by their intense feelings of grief and guilt, and those experiences of loss are always tied to family. Many different women in this text lose their children, and the experience is particularly painful for Norma. This quote also speaks to the broader reality of all the Indigenous children who were stolen, and all the parents who were left without answers.

“I felt a strange familiarity with the place, not with the people so much, but with the landscape.”

Ruthie/Norma never completely loses her true identity. As a child and an adult, she experiences connections to her past in the form of dreams and feelings which she cannot quite identify. Here, she feels a connection to the place where she was born, although she does not realize it. Ruthie/Norma’s connection to her previous life speaks to the theme of Indigenous Family Bonds: The bonds between Ruthie and her family are never broken, and Ruthie’s memories are a part of that perseverance.

“You spend all your time feelin’ bad for yourself instead of trying to get better.”

Mae speaks these lines, and they add to her characterization as well as her brother’s characterization. Joe spends the bulk of the narrative mired in grief and guilt, and here, Mae argues that doing so does not help him. Ultimately, Joe will have to choose to begin the healing process for himself, although his family will help him along the way.

“I was the last one to see Ruthie. I was the one who lost her. I got guilt, Mae.”

This passage speaks to Joe’s sense of Grief and Guilt. It is rooted in his feelings of responsibility for having lost his sister and standing idly by while his brother died. He will not heal from these feelings until the very end of the narrative.

“I was still prone to fits of rage. Tiny happenings, ones that no one else would care about, seemed to get my blood all hot and thick.”

This passage also speaks to Joe’s characterization. His entire life has been shaped by the twin feelings of grief and guilt, and they cause him to self-medicate with alcohol, as well as to resort to violence to manage his pain. Joe has unresolved anger, which he often misdirects.

“When I turned back to the water, I was overwhelmed by the smell of campfire and boiled potatoes.”

This passage speaks to the strength of Indigenous Family Bonds. Ruthie/Norma still feels a connection to her family, although it emerges mostly in dreams. When she returns to the cabin where she’d spent time as a child, she is filled with memories of her mother. She knows now that her dreams did happen and that Lenore had been lying. This quote offers a full-circle moment in which the smells and sights of Ruthie’s dreams become real.

“I lost my sister when I was six. I let my brother die when I was fifteen, and I left my wife bloody and bruised two weeks ago. That’s my story.”

This passage speaks to Joe’s extreme preoccupation with Grief and Guilt. He is consumed by sadness and spends much of his life alone, thinking about his unhappiness. Joe feels that his whole “story” is the loss of his siblings and wife and does not immediately seek redemption or healing. He will ultimately find healing through reunion with his family and through reconciliation with Cora and Leah.

“For someone who carries little affinity for religion, I seem to be burdened with an inordinate amount of guilt.”

This passage speaks to the theme of Grief and Guilt. Joe is never able to let go of his guilt, and his life is defined by sadness and turmoil. Although he does find healing at the end of the narrative, he spends the bulk of his life in pain.

“I always felt that I had missed out on the true, unfiltered, unconditional love of a sibling.”

Norma/Ruthie is never able to accept the lack of siblings in her life. There is something deep within her that knows that she has been separated from her siblings, and she does not feel truly whole until she meets her true family. She craves unconditional love of a closer kind, describing exactly what has been stolen from her.

“The rage I had run from, that emotion I thought I had tamed, reared its head one last time.”

Part of Joe’s trauma manifests as anger, and he is prone to fits of rage. Violence and alcohol are his two coping mechanisms, although he does fight against them and feels truly bad when he drinks or loses his temper. This quote also highlights that, during his journeys, Joe may be trying to outrun his anger and harm no one else.

“And stop thinking you’re the cause of other people’s misery. The only misery you’re causing is your own.”

Joe’s guilt over having caused the disappearance of Ruthie and the death of Charlie is misplaced. He had been responsible for neither event. It is only at the urging of his family members that he finally lets go of his false sense of responsibility, and by then, he has spent a lifetime angry and unhappy; however, it is important to note that this was likely the reality for many Indigenous peoples who faced The Impact of Anti-Indigenous Racism and separation from family members.

“For five decades now, every day I had lived as Norma, my aunt June had betrayed me.”

This passage speaks to June’s characterization and Norma’s realization that she is not who she has been raised to believe she is. June is ultimately revealed as an antagonist. She is complicit in her sister’s crime, and although she does help Norma/Ruthie to find her true family, Norma/Ruthie points out that Lenore had stolen her entire life from her, and June had helped.

“I seemed to fit in so quickly, almost like I had never been lost to them and they to me.”

This passage speaks to the strength of Indigenous Family Bonds. Even after decades apart, Ruthie feels closely bonded to her mother and siblings. Theirs was a love that could not be broken, and at the end of the novel, they are all able to heal together. This was not the case for most Indigenous families, which makes the ending bittersweet.

“I don’t want visions of my life to unreel; I want to stay in this moment with all the people I love, sisters and brothers, ghosts and a daughter I never deserved, all in one place, with me.”

At the end of the novel, the entire family is reunited, and at the time of his death, Joe wants to stay in the present rather than revisit the past. It is the only time that he has felt true togetherness since Ruthie’s disappearance. He feels peace, and in death, his life’s suffering over Grief and Guilt is ended.