50 pages • 1 hour read
Katherena VermetteThe Break
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2016A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Themes
Indigenous Identity in a Colonized Culture
Content Warning: This section of the guide discusses sexual and physical violence, alcoholism, and racism against Indigenous people.
Within the setting of Winnipeg, the Indigenous peoples are faced with discrimination from the white population, and they are subjected to racist ideologies within a colonized landscape. From the first pages, the reader learns that the houses in the Break “were all made cheap and big” for European immigrants to be able to own land and pay taxes (3), but they left in the 1960s when Indigenous people were able to leave reservations and move into the area. The prejudice that the community experiences resides within the setting itself, and the fact that the novel itself is titled The Break highlights its significance to the characters’ sense of identity.
When Phoenix is introduced as a “runaway” from a juvenile detention center, vermette illustrates the prejudice faced by Indigenous people:
All the white yuppies got out of their fancy houses and into their cars, and glared a little too long at her in her thin army jacket, but didn’t ask her anything or stop. She made lots of turns, just in case someone called the cops, who would, in this neighborhood, come pretty quickly, she’d bet (28).
Within this scene, the white population does not view Phoenix as a young girl walking around in winter in need of help, but they view her with contempt due to her appearance. She recognizes white people for their ability to easily stereotype her as a troubled, Indigenous teen, and she resents them for this. This illustrates a divide between communities and places the Indigenous community beneath the white population. vermette also places this moment early on in the novel to foreshadow how the police prioritizes the white population over the Indigenous when it takes them a long time to arrive at Stella’s house and when Officer Christie easily dismisses the crime that occurred at the Break.
Not only are the Indigenous characters forced to live under racist ideologies, but they also must learn how to identify themselves within their own culture and that of a colonized society, forcing them to exist between two worlds. Tommy, who exists between the colonized society and the Indigenous culture, struggles to maintain his own sense of self while navigating his career and romantic relationship. When discussing his case with Hannah, she replies that the community of people with whom he is dealing “are gangsters” who are “sadistic” (222). Hannah stereotypes the community around the Break, who are primarily Indigenous, and her commentary represents an ignorant perspective on the identities of those in the community that she references.
Tommy overhears Officer Christie comment how surprising it is that Tommy is a good worker despite “being a May-tee and all” (72). His repeatedly calling Tommy “May-tee” suggests that Tommy is robbed of his identity as an individual, as well as the possibility of associating being Métis with positive connotations, when Officer Christie constantly refers to him as “May-tee.” Their coworker replies, “Oh they will surprise you […] Not full-blooded Indians or anything. Good little horses them May-tee” (72). This interaction illustrates how the white population belittles Indigenous people but also separates Métis people from “full-blooded” Indigenous identities. Focusing on his blood, the coworker dehumanizes Tommy by comparing him to a horse. In the novel, the Indigenous population struggles to coexist with the white population because they are heavily discriminated against in both state institutions and social communities.
Intergenerational Trauma and the Importance of Healing
Throughout the novel, the characters are not only impacted by their own individual traumas, but they also are affected by the damage inflicted on their elders, which creates a long-lasting, negative impact on future generations. The women in the Charles/Traverse family have all experienced some form of trauma from the men in their lives, leaving it difficult for many of them, such as Paulina and Lou, to trust them. Paulina, despite Pete’s love for her and his dedication to proving his trustworthiness, struggles to allow him fully into her life. When Emily does endure a sexual assault, the women all band together to support her. However, their pasts cloud how they view the present, which suggests the importance of healing. When Emily arrives at the hospital, Paulina notices that her “[blood] is really everywhere” (93)—Pete is not exaggerating over how hurt Emily is. The imagery of the blood covering Emily represents how much violence not only has impacted her but also how it stains Paulina’s perception of the world. The doctor tells Paulina that Emily “will heal normally” (97), but he only speaks about her physical healing. vermette establishes from the doctor’s observation that Emily’s need to heal within herself will also be imperative. The novel parallels Emily’s healing process with the way the women in the family struggle to trust others and move on from their pasts.
Despite having undergone such traumatic experiences, the women in this family hold close their relationships with each other, and their ability to nurture these connections illustrates the importance of healings. In Chapter 28, Kookom thinks that “[i]n the end, all that matters is what has been given” (329). Though this comment is short, the implication remains that even though they have been through adversity and trauma, they also have been given each other. They exist with shared experiences that complicate how they view the world and, thus, inhibit their ability to heal at times. The younger generation “still has life to heal” (329), which will propel future generations to heal as well. Cheryl takes this a step further through initiating the healing process with Emily and Ziggy with a sweating. As they all walk out from the ritual, she recognizes that “[these] are the moments she loves the most, the ones that feel good all the way, no matter what” (35). By ending on this note, vermette closes the novel with the idea that healing from intergenerational trauma requires all participating members to embark on the healing process.
The Impact of Violence on a Community
The presence of violence exists not only against the Métis people through social prejudices but also within their community as well, depicted as the legacy of disenfranchisement and impoverishment after colonialism. vermette illustrates this through the sexual assault that Emily endures along with the emotional and physical trauma experienced by the women in her family. Looking at the community as a whole, the existence of the red and black gang embodies the brutality of the novel. When Jake reveals to Lou that Emily and Ziggy attended a gang party, he tells her that boys are “initiated in” to the gang, whereas girls are sexually brought into it (177). Here, vermette illustrates that the nature of violence can be gendered, perpetuating a cycle that forces boys to harm others and girls to experience and enact sexual violence. The presence of gangs infiltrates not just the older generation but also the younger one; vermette hence depicts how violence is cycled through and imbeds itself into a community.
The violence that exists in the community perpetuates a cycle of violence as seen through Phoenix. Alex tells Phoenix that she “must fix this shit” (147), referring to the sexual assault that took place the night of the party. Phoenix believes that she will not have to face the consequences of her actions. Rather, she views herself as a surrogate for Alex’s violent power, wielding it over those around her, including her friends. She threatens Clayton by claiming that he has “disrespected” Alex (153), which causes him to become fearful for his well-being. Even though Phoenix struggles with her own insecurities, she utilizes fear to appear powerful and confident. The implication, however, is that these characters exist in a reality where the younger generation is fearful of those who should be protecting them and not hurting them. The violence of the older generation cycles through the community and perpetuates more violence and fear.
Tommy’s own experience with violence lends an opposite reaction to Phoenix’s. Growing up with a father with an alcohol addiction, the violence that Tommy faces exists within the domestic sphere. His mother was beaten by his father, and as he grew up “his growing body became a shield between his father and mother, a tense set of squared shoulders, ready to jump” (77). Tommy physically embodies a response to the violence that infiltrates his home and, subsequently, the violence that infiltrates the community. While his career as a police officer is in part an attempt to intervene in cycles of violence within his community, vermette portrays the police as a force that perpetuates or ignores violence in communities that need the most support.
His experience with domestic abuse is not limited to just his character; Kookom, for instance, experiences it with her husband, whom she deems a monster. However, their responses to these acts are attempts to bring justice, though this is often inhibited by systemic forces and intergenerational trauma. The impact of violence on a community, therefore, exists on an individual and a societal scale, creating cycles that are hard to escape.
