Shell Shaker

When Tema tells Borden about her vision, he argues that Tema is irrational, that she is claiming “that speech determines actions. Like God saying, ‘let there be light,’ and the lights come on” (loc 727). What is the relationship between speech and actions in the novel? Do they determine actions, as Tema claims, or are they separate, as Borden believes?

During Auda’s lecture on Choctaw history, Adair grows uncomfortable with her sister’s language. Why does Adair wince when Auda berates one of the white audience members?

After Auda’s lecture, Adair realizes that Auda is drunk and wonders why the “stereotype [has] to be Indians and alcohol? Why couldn’t it be Indians and race cars, or Indians and chocolate wafers?” (loc 913). Similarly, when Auda meets Gore again after the murder, she comments, “Never give whiskey to an Indian” (loc 2142), and in the section when Father Renoir is preparing to leave with Neshoba, he thinks, “Indians degenerate over brandy more so than other races” (loc 3475). Do these incidents emphasize or undermine stereotypes about Indigenous people and alcohol?