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Chapter 8
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 stirs the stew and looks into the fridge, feeling reassured when the fridge light pops on. He heads out to get groceries, especially canned food. Outside, children are playing happily in the snow, and Evan is relieved to see that they aren’t worried. At the grocery store, the products are very expensive because the area is so remote. Evan bumps into Isaiah, who warns Evan that there isn’t much food left in the store because people are panic-buying. Evan is surprised, but Isaiah bluntly interjects that not everyone is as prepared as Evan for the winter. He also tells Evan not to worry—Isaiah thinks they’ll be laughing about this in a couple weeks.
Many people on the reserve are starting to panic—notably those who usually rely on modern amenities to get by instead of living off the land according to indigenous custom. Their behavior hints at how easily people grow fearful when they realize the modern luxuries they’ve grown used to (like stores that usually supply them with food) might not be as available to them as they’ve been in recent years.
Themes
It’s mayhem inside the store: people are avoiding eye contact with one another and grabbing everything they can. Most of the shelves are empty. Evan walks through the store, noting that the only things left are soda crackers, a few cans of sardines, dog food, condiments, and seasonings. He grabs the last two cans of baked beans for himself; they’re also out of milk and eggs at home, but there are none left in the store. Evan drives home in silence. When he enters, Nicole looks at him quizzically. He shrugs and places the two cans on the table.
Modern amenities like grocery stores seem reliable, but they’re actually not, because the infrastructure that sustains them is fragile. It only takes a few days without power for the pipeline that provides food from the outside world to fail. Rice also suggests that being dependent on such conveniences leaves people vulnerable, because they don’t know how to get by without them.
Themes
