Fire Exit

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of addiction, mental illness, and death.

The complex nature of culture, identity, and belonging is at the core of this novel’s thematic project. Through the author’s choice to explore life for a non-Indigenous protagonist, he makes a broader argument about the role that “nurture” plays in identity development. Charles considers himself culturally Indigenous; although he is not Penobscot, he grew up on the Penobscot reservation and was deeply connected to Fredrick, his Penobscot stepfather. This identity remains fraught, however, because many individuals on the reservation will never see him as anything other than white. The tension between experience and genetics and Mary’s choice to list an Indigenous man on Elizabeth’s birth certificate allow the author to interrogate blood quantum—the practice of determining eligibility for tribal enrollment based on “blood.”

Fredrick was committed to both his Indigenous history and his Indigenous community. He took parenting seriously, and because he considered Charles his son, he wanted his child to understand Penobscot traditions and identity. He taught Charles the history of his people and how to embody Penobscot beliefs and values. Through Fredrick’s tutelage, Charles learned songs and oral narratives and how to hunt, fish, and build homes.