How Does Hemingway Present Abuse Towards Indigenous People?

Noah Giberovitch
Mr.Northey
Class: 4-01
Date: 28th of February 2023

Indigenous Injustice The authors of the three stories all identify abuse towards Indigenous people in different ways. The story Queen of the North, by Eden Robinson, shows abuse as a cycle that’s extremely difficult to break and is passed down from generation to generation. Indian Camp, by Ernest Hemingway represents a clear power dynamic and abuse of power between white and Indigenous people. In the story Hearts and Flowers, by Tomson Highway, inequality is ingrained into society by the government. These stories show how abuse is often intangible but has detrimental effects, like trauma and even suicide.
Eden Robinson depicts abuse in Queen of the North as a cycle

My first quote speaks about the process of the birth of a child. “Later when he started to operate, Uncle George and three Indian men held the woman still.” (Hemingway 68). In this quote, they’re holding her down to perform a c-section, which was something that the doctor went ahead and did, and didn’t bother to ask for the woman's consent. He explains to his son what he’s doing to the woman, almost as if she’s unimportant and an experiment, all for the education of his son. Hemingway presents us this situation to show us that the doctor prioritizes his son's education over the well being of this indigenous woman. Hemingway opens our eyes to how white people feel about Indigenous people in this story. The second quote I chose to review is referring to the husband of the pregnant woman, and how the doctor views his death. “Why did he kill himself, Daddy? I don’t know, Nick. He couldn’t stand things, I guess” (69). It’s obvious that the Doctor doesn’t give much thought to this man's death, and he puts it aside as if it’s insignificant. Normally, if someone dies in your presence, you’d feel sorrow, and even regret, wondering if you could’ve prevented it, but the doctor shows no empathy. This is yet another example of white people viewing Indigenous people as inferior and a prime example of Hemingway’s repetition

The first quote I chose is when Mr. Tipper is in a restaurant, looking for the “Indians only” section. “Darting his eyeballs like tiny searchlights, he looks for a sign that will indeed say “Indians Only”.” (Highway 193). Though the abuse here is unspoken, it is still very present. By separating the “Indians” from white people, the government is committing an act of segregation towards Indigenous people. Highway shows us multiple times throughout the story how the government is dehumanizing the Indigenous people. Highway shows us the inequality between these two groups in a comprehensive way. The fact that Daniel’s so surprised that a white person, or otherwise known in the story as a “human”, would sit in the “Indian” section shows how rare it is for a white person to stand up to the government. The second quote I chose refers to how society in the story views the Indigenous people. “They’re not human, not according to the radio, not according to the government. It is the law.” (193). This quote refers to the denial of voting privileges for Indigenous people. By taking away this human right, they’re removing their ability to have a voice. Highway shows us the effect dehumanization has on Daniel, as he loses his appetite, and starts to question his own