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Chapter 5
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Moon of the Crusted Snow, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Technology, Society, and Survival
Colonialism, Oppression, and Trauma
Selfishness vs. Selflessness
Gender, Power, and Wisdom
Summary
Analysis
Evan and Nicole drop the kids off at Dan and Patricia’s, and Patricia tells them to enjoy their night off. The roads are dark, but the homes along the route have their living room light on. Vinny Jones, another member of the community, has all his lights on. Evan decides to try and talk him into conserving more energy tomorrow. Evan and Nicole arrive at Tammy’s place, where only the dim kitchen light is turned on for poker night, and sit down with Tammy and her partner, Will.
Rice shows that some people on the reserve, like Evan’s family, are thinking communally and trying not to use up precious fuel supplies. Others, in contrast—like Vinny Jones—are thinking selfishly. Later, Rice will reveal that people who act selfishly don’t cultivate the support systems they’ll need to survive when the blackout worsens.
Themes
The community banished alcohol about 20 years ago, after a spate of young suicides, domestic abuse incidents, and alcohol-fueled violence on the reserve. Today, however, the regulation is seldom enforced. Tammy and Will have rum, rye, and mixers ready for poker night. Evan and Nicole mix themselves some drinks. Instead of playing poker, they end up sitting and gossiping for hours. It seems that most people are following the council’s advice to conserve energy, but not all. Eventually, they nod off one by one; Nicole and Evan pass out in the spare room. The next morning, Evan and Nicole wake up and head out to pick up the kids.
Historically, the Anishinaabe didn’t have alcohol in their culture until early European colonizers introduced them to it. Rice suggest that colonialism introduced practices (like alcohol consumption) into indigenous communities, which still affect them—often for the worse. Tammy, Will, Evan, and Nicole embody a cautious middle ground between their indigenous culture (which they deeply value) and modern conveniences (like alcohol).
Themes
