Early Indigenous Literatures

Reconciliation as ambivalent

Through the figure of the mother, the narrator emphasizes that this reconciliation is not easy or simple. The mother's hair is "cut square with her shoulders"--an act which we know from Bonnin's "School Days" story indicates bereavement and loss. Her eyes are swollen and her voice wavers before she breaks into sobs. Yet, she still holds the young man's hand and declares him her son. The processes of grieving and retribution are intimately linked and one does not vie for primacy over the other.

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