Two Roads

“Sometimes in addition to finding myself in the past in someone else’s body, I can also sort of look ahead to what’s coming.”

These words describe another aspect of Cal’s special ability. The ability to catch glimpses of possible futures becomes important later in the novel when he starts to have visions warning of his father’s potential death in the midst of violent protests in Washington. In this way, the author uses Cal’s ability both to hint at the secret nuances of his heritage and to foreshadow the climactic events to come.

“We never know where life is going to take us.”

The bleak, stark simplicity of this statement belies the deeper sense of foreboding and tension that it conceals, for in the early stages of the novel, profound changes are afoot both for Cal and his father, and neither can predict what challenges they may meet or even whether they will see each other again anytime soon. Coupled with Cal’s imminent struggle to comprehend what it means to be Creek instead of white in a world where minority groups are treated poorly at best, even such a simple statement of fact harbors depths of unspoken emotion and serves to foreshadow the many adventures and challenges that await the characters in the coming pages.

“I hope I can just grow up to be half the man Pop is, I think to myself.”

At this point in the novel, Cal has not yet gained the maturity to learn to incorporate the many aspects of his identity into a more cohesive sense of self. Instead, he innocently idolizes his father and wishes only to emulate his finest qualities. Because of his high opinions of Pop, Cal will go along with Pop's upcoming plan to send him to Challagi. For the time being, however, Cal's idolization of his father provides him with his primary identity—that of being his father's son.

“His hands are pale white, his palms and fingers free of any of the calluses like the ones Pop and I have earned by doing honest work. This man is no hobo; he is a light-fingered and lazy tramp for sure.”

Cal and his father have just retrieved Miz Euler’s stolen goods, and this matter-of-fact yet judgmental portrayal represents the young Cal’s thoughts about the thief. Inherent in the boy’s summary judgment of the man’s character is the moral code that Cal and his father try to live up to as “hobos.” In Cal’s mind, the lifestyle that his father espouses is based upon respect and good conduct, while this man’s wrongdoings paint him as someone who has not embraced such a code, instead engaging in dishonest deeds and lazy habits. Thus, Cal’s strong work ethic becomes apparent quite early in the story, and this trait holds true as the novel progresses.

“A part of me, though, is thinking how sad it is. When a man gets like Jack with only himself to think about, there's really nowhere he can go. Not like Pop and me, us always having each other to take care of each other.”

This quotation shows that Cal’s unfavorable opinion of the thief is tempered with a measure of pity. Unlike Jack, who has no one, Cal and his father at least have each other to rely upon, and they spend their time caring for one other. Content with the simplicity and close-knit relationship that characterizes life on the road with his father, Cal sees no reason to expand his social circle. These words take on added significance later in the novel as Cal learns the benefits and gifts of friendship.

“Unlike a good many of those millions of folks who became homeless when all the banks failed, Pop had already experienced the hobo life and didn't have to struggle to adjust to it.”

These words serve two purposes. First, they explain Pop’s origins—and by implication, his many practical skills in a travel-based lifestyle. The quote also illustrates the widespread poverty and hardship of the Great Depression and implies that not all people were equally equipped to deal with the unique challenges that the era presented. Given Pop’s past lifestyle on the road, he is much better equipped than most to adjust to the many social and economic changes that brought the country to its knees at this time.

“It's that losing Mom left such a hole in my heart that I needed to fill it up as soon as I could. Otherwise my whole life might have run out like water from a leaky pail.”

Here, Cal explains the reason for his eager acceptance of the “hobo” lifestyle, for although this way of life presents many hardships, its varied and interesting days also allowed him to distract himself from his grief at losing his mother at such a young age. The quote also emphasizes the important role that his mother played in his life. Although she dies before the novel begins, her impact on her husband and son comes through, and she has a ghostly presence in the story through their frequent remembrances of her.

“Indians nowadays…they’re hard to distinguish from sunburned farmers.

With this offhand and somewhat irreverent comment, Pop says this to Cal to explain how Indigenous people used to roam the land along with the buffalo; the comment also emphasizes the changes that Indigenous people have endured over the decades as they have had to assimilate into the dominant culture. This comment also serves as foreshadowing as Cal will soon learn about his true Creek origins. At this point in the story, Cal remains ignorant of his heritage and does not believe that he has ever seen an Indigenous person.

“They told how this country was won from the savage Indian tribes who were the enemies of civilization and progress until they were all subdued. Manifest Destiny. How things were meant to be.”

Cal thinks about what he was taught about Indigenous people in school as his father is telling him about the school he wants Cal to attend. Cal was taught that westward expansion was what was intended all along for the United States, and in order to justify this political trend, the educational system and the country as a whole described Indigenous people as savage. They dehumanized Indigenous people in order to take from them.

“That just makes no sense at all. Indians do not look like he does. They ride horses and live in tipis and hunt buffalo. They use bows and arrows and tomahawks, and they don’t speak English. And they sure as blue blazes do not ride the rails or go hoboing.”

Cal has just been told that his father is from the Creek tribe, and his cognitive dissonance is clear in the harsh and almost strident tone of this particular quotation as he desperately recites everything he thinks he knows about Indigenous people. He was taught in school that Indigenous people are savage, and although his parents tried to mitigate society’s ingrained racism by conveying much more nuanced stories, those stories were not enough to wipe key stereotypes out of his head. Learning that his father is Creek is therefore a shock to him. This revelation initiates Cal’s journey of self-discovery, for he must now reconcile everything that he thought he was with this new identity of being Creek.

“One man’s blood is just the same color as the next man’s. And you can never judge any person or any thing by how they look on the outside. Some of nature's deadliest creatures are really pretty to look at—like the black widow spider whose bite is poison.”

This quote demonstrates Cal and his father’s understanding of race. To them, race does not matter, for it is just one more attribute in a sea of attributes and cannot define the quality of a person’s soul. However, this tolerant viewpoint still cannot mitigate Cal's visceral reaction to learning that he is part Creek, for he is still shackled by the harmful stereotypes perpetuated by the teachers of his first school. Although he does not discriminate against people, he does demonstrate some initial resistance to the idea of being part of an Indigenous group.

“Indians. That’s how Pop is now referring to him and me. Is Indian what I am? It’s not what I’ve ever seen myself to be.”

When Cal relates these thoughts, he and his father are on their way to Challagi, and Pop has been telling Cal stories of his own days at the school. Still struggling with the sudden shift in his own self-image, Cal notices the difference in the way his father is speaking about himself, and it makes Cal question the nature of his own identity. As of yet, he does not have any real idea of what it means to be Creek.

“They won’t fight like white men. They’ll fight fair. But they will be trying to get their licks in.”

With this quotation, Pop imparts some practical advice on the social norms that govern the students of Challagi. All along, Cal has been taught a specific honor code, and here, although the social rules at school will be somewhat different, Pop is clearly attempting to reassure his son that a code of honor will still hold sway over his most important interactions with the other children there. The honor of the Challagi students is also contrasted with the lack of honor in mainstream white culture, for Pop makes it a point to tell Cal that the Challagi students, unlike white people, will fight fair.

“You see...You shake hands like someone who trusts the other and doesn't have to prove he's better. That's an Indian handshake.”

Here, Pop explains that the interactions between Indigenous people are based on mutual trust and respect, not on a focus on establishing a power differential between the two participants. By emphasizing that Cal will be able to approach other Indigenous people on an equal footing, Pop gives Cal insight into the fundamentals of Indigenous culture. It is also part of how Pop tries to quickly tell his son, on their journey to Challagi, all he will need to know in order to survive there.

“I wish to welcome you all here today to see this fine display of discipline and wholesome competition, principles that Challagi attempts to ingrain in our boys and girls as we mold them to meet a world so different from that in which their savage forebears lived.”

Spoken by the Challagi superintendent on the day that Cal arrives at the school, these words are ostensibly intended to proclaim the school’s fine ideas and high educational quality. However, by casually denouncing the ancestors of the Indigenous students as “savage forebears,” the superintendent is dehumanizing the very people he proclaims to want to help. Such ingrained racism betrays the speaker’s deep-seated contempt for the people in his charge, and thus the author makes it clear that no matter what useful skills the students may glean from their time at Challagi, the institution is fundamentally flawed and deeply abusive at its core. Ultimately, the only real positives that the students will gain from their time at school will be in the fellowship they develop with one another.

“Pop does not look back. When you've said good-bye, after the first step you're already gone. Looking back just confuses things.”

These words further establish the calm stoicism with which both Cal and his father meet the hardships of life. Although father and son are precious to each other, they do not make a fuss upon parting and go forth on their own separate paths with courage and faith in the eventuality of their reunion. Pop is a decisive man, and he has taught Cal all that he can. All they can do now is look forward to the moment when their diverging life paths come back together as their respective journeys come full circle.

“Staying in step. That is what the government decided was needed to keep a bunch of wild Indians in line. Turn them into imitation soldiers rather than have U.S. soldiers fight them.”

The cynical tone of this quote reflects that the students themselves understand the true purpose of schools like Challagi, which are not designed primarily to help the Indigenous people. Instead, they are designed to actively eradicate Indigenous cultures and force Indigenous people to assimilate into the dominant white culture instead of fighting against it. The war against the Indigenous people therefore continued in the form of selective reeducation rather than overt violence.

“The idea here… is to kill the Indian and save the man.”

Possum explains that the government’s purpose in creating the school is to eradicate Indigenous culture in order to save the lives that would otherwise have been taken in outright conflict. Prior to the creation of such schools, the government was spending a lot of money to eradicate and kill Indigenous people. Thus, even the schools represent yet another way in which the government attempts to subdue Indigenous people without treating them fairly and with dignity.

“Me, I grew up just thinking of myself as a person. Being white means you have the luxury to do that. It means not worrying about who you are. You know your identity, even if you’re a hobo.”

In this quote, Cal considers the nature and source of identity, a key theme in the novel. Prior to learning that he is part Creek, Cal mainly identifies as a “hobo.” Following his father’s honor code holds the highest importance for him, and he initially does not give much thought to the implications of belonging to one race over another. At Challagi, however, race and tribe are important. People identify largely with their tribe and also in relation to whether all of their ancestry is Indigenous or if part of it is.

“I no longer feel like an out-of-place white boy, the way I did before. I feel like I belong to our gang. Maybe I’m not totally Indian, but I’m not the same as I was before. I’m seeing things another way.”

Cal continues to explore his identity. Whereas months ago, he did not even know that he was part Creek, now he identifies strongly with his group of Creek friends. He feels like he belongs with the other students. He is starting to find his identity in a place that is intended to destroy Indigenous identity.

“I know if I tell them what I just saw in my dream that they’ll take it serious. I know, partially from what I’ve learned about being Creek and partially because a part of me has always known, that my dreams are connecting me to other people. People who’ve passed on—like Miz Euler’s husband who got gassed in France—and people still living. My dreams are of things that happened, even before I was alive on this earth.”

In this quote, Cal has just experienced a disturbing dream about his father and must finally acknowledge the powerful clairvoyant gift that he possesses. He has never shared these visions with people before, but he knows that his Creek friends will understand. With this realization, he demonstrates the depths to which he has come to identify as Creek and takes the next major step of embracing the full measure of his heritage, including his gifts as a potential “medicine man.”

“We’re truly brothers. Whatever happens from here on in we’ll always be as close as kin.”

Cal and Deacon have just run their sweat. This ritual makes Cal feel close to the other boys because he has finally achieved a profound camaraderie with people who understand him. He had never told anyone about his visions before this moment, and the fact that the Creek boys already have a name for it makes him feel an intense sense of belonging. More than ever, he feels deeply connected with his Creek ancestry and what it has to teach him.

“How could American soldiers be called upon to attack veterans?”

While the major story in this book concerns the unjust ways that Indigenous people were treated, there is also a subplot about the struggle that World War I veterans undergo to obtain their pay after the war’s conclusion. Because of cruel government policies that deny veterans their full wages, the characters in the book do not trust President Hoover. However, despite these difficulties, Cal is astonished to learn that Gale thinks the government would go so far as to use the military to attack its own veterans.