The Loons Representation

My representation is Metis art of a loon. It is a literal representation because it is an image of a loon. However, it also demonstrates the Metis’ understanding of the separateness of the loon, in the same way as the short story. Therefore it is a metaphoric representation as well. 

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The diction in The Loons is used to illustrate status. Both the author and the characters speak with a diction demonstrating their point of view, and how they see others in regard to social position. The contrast in language between the first person narrator, Vanessa, and Piquette, another main character in the story, is pronounced. For example, Vanessa automatically sees Piquette as a “half-breed”.  Piquette’s choice of words reflects her gaps in education over the years. Later in the story, Piquette marries a white man, in her words “a handsome English fella”, while Vanessa would see him only as a commoner. The language used in The Loons shows the distinction between Vanessa and Piquette, in multiple ways. 

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In this short story, the Metis (specifically Piquette) are represented by the loons. Piquette Tonnerre demonstrates the story of how, like an animal species, a cultural group can be wiped out. At 13, she leads a terrible life – crippled by tuberculosis in one leg, disregarded by the family she works for, and having been deserted by her mother. Some of these issues are ultimately caused by the society’s disdain for half-breeds like herself. Piquette’s comparison to the loons becomes more evident as the story progresses. Piquette and the loons are people shy, and as we learn more about the characteristics of the loon, we are better able to understand what is going on inside Piquette’s mind. Both also suffer from an impotence to change environments. Piquette, having grown up in an Indian family is unable to escape from the society’s view of her. Similarly the loons are cannot adapt to a change in environment or human invasion. A large part of the story takes place by a lake, which is the home of a group of loons. The invasion by humans of the loon’s habitat is representing the invasion of Europeans on Indian land. Near the end of the story both Piquette and the loons attempt to adjust to their new “societies”. The loons continue to live close to human invasion, and Piquette takes on European ways, and marries a white man. However, in the end, both are unsuccessful and return to their original ways of life. 

The Loons Vocabulary Web 2

The Loons Vocabulary Web 1

The Loons Literature Web