Summary Of Monkey Beach By Eden Robinson

Monkey Beach by Eden Robinson highlights the difficulties of growing up as a young Native woman in modern times. The main protagonist, Lisamarie Hill, is gifted with supernatural ability allowing her to communicate with the spirit world. Constantly struggling to find her modern Native identity, she turns to her grandmother, Ma-ma-moo, for guidance and advice. Thus, allowing her to begin reconciliation with the spirit realm. However, once her grandmother passes, Lisamarie must, not without difficulty, rely on herself and native spirits to continue her journey. Lisamarie’s spiritual development with the Tree Spirits, B’gwus, and Ghosts allow her to eventually end her struggle and accept her identity. Ma-ma-moo plays a pivotal role in Lisamarie’s

This spirit initiates her journey into the spiritual realm. The first time Lisamarie encounters the little red-headed man in her bedroom, she is overcome by fear and awe: "I was staring open mouthed at the red-haired man sitting cross-legged on the top of my dresser[…] he straightened until he was standing again and stepped back into the wall. I didn’t move from under the covers until mom knocked on my door,” (Robinson 21). The reaction demonstrates how she requires support from her grandmother. Also, the conflicting emotions show the difficulty in understanding her experiences. Moreover, Lisamarie’s mother once had this gift, until she decided to ignore it. Her choice of repressing this gift combined with not warning her daughter that she may receive is part of the struggle Lisamarie encounters. The lack of support from her family makes it difficult for her to commit to trusting the spirits and discovering her identity. Once again Lisamarie must turn to her grandmother for guidance, and she teaches about the tree spirits: “The tobacco is for the tree spirits. You take something, you give something. I’m asking for protection.” [...] “What do the spirits look like?” [...] “The chief trees—the biggest, strongest, oldest ones—had a spirit, a little man with red hair.” (Robinson 152). Although Lisamarie gains some knowledge, many of the answers she

This supernatural being is important in Lisamarie’s development because it helps her become more mature and responsible. Firstly, Lisamarie denies the existence of this creature, however when following her brother through the woods while he “hunts” for a photo, she catches a glimpse of a B’gwus: “I turned back and saw him. Just for a moment, just a glimpse of a tall man covered in brown fur. He gave me a wide, friendly smile, but he had too many teeth and they were all pointed.” (Robinson 16).. Part of her struggle to find her identity is based is the fact that parts of her culture, such as the B’gwus, have been taught to scare kids instead of what they truly are. Overcoming her fear, Lisamarie matures and begins to accept the sasquatch, just as she accepted the tree spirits. This happens when, Ma-ma-moo tells her the story of how the B’gwus came to be, a detailed story of deception and sadness. This makes the sasquatch seem more human and less like a monster. Later on in her life, while coming back from Vancouver, sees a sasquatch on the road She thinks about the encounter as she continues driving: “As I drove away, I felt deeply comforted knowing that magical things were still living in the world.”(Robinson 315-316). This sighting gives her strength to continue while she returns from a self-destructive lifestyle when she suffered from substance abuse and