ipl-logo

The Theme Of Betrayal In Maggie Hoskie's 'Trail Of Lightning'

754 Words4 Pages

Ashylee Yao

Grade 8 Language

5/24/23

Betrayal is a necessary component of success. Betrayal is the act of building trust and then utilizing that faith for personal gain. In the novel, Trail of Lightning by Rebbeca Roanhorse. Maggie Hoskie a young adult with supernatural killing abilities and her sidekick Kai Arviso take on the challenge to protect their town from supernatural monsters, witches, and immortal creatures. The past and the future shows that all the characters are linked and experience similar betrayal caused by someone they thought they could trust.

Coyote and Nezighani have always …show more content…

Nezighani, an overpowering immortal monsterslayer and a magical witch, two of the most powerful creatures alive. Their success stories are however similar. Nezighani had trained Maggie, but had abruptly abandoned her after he thought she was getting violent. Nezighani’s success comes from his immortal well being but also his power which he doesn’t want to share. Coyote used Maggie to defeat his own enemy to maintain his power. Maggie journey was to defeat the wicked witch creating supernatural monsters. Little did she know, her entire life from the beginning had been a game. Her only family, her grandmother had been killed and Neizghani had only trained her and loved her because they were both being played. Coyote had become a power witch, and maintained his power through Maggie, making her feel betrayed and aggravated to get revenge. “You can’t fuck with people like that. You can’t …show more content…

Maggie a gifted bounty hunter and monsterslayer, has been tasked to find her and to bring her back home safely in return for trade. Maggie discovers the girl infested. A supernatural creature flooded with evilness infects whoever it chooses to haunt and eat. The innocent girl has done nothing to deserve this unfortunate state. But in order to protect the rest of the village and the five fingered population, Maggie must back out on her trade and word. “I swing the Boker. Her head separates cleanly”. (16) This prevents the evilness from spreading through the girl. Nevertheless Maggie chose to betray the mother of the girl in order to prevent future chaos and a safe future of success. In a similar manner Maggie had to prevent Nezighani (an immortal monsterslayer) from his brutal teachings and his killing power. “Then its time to die, Rabbit”, I whisper. And just like that, I pull a bullet through his heart. (Pg: 281) Maggie had ended the life of her lover, Kai Arviso, but she had stopped and trapped an immortal soul from assaulting and holding power. She had betrayed someone she loved the most for the people left in Dinétah to live equally and

Show More
Related

Summary Of Saints At The River By Ron Rash

732 Words | 3 Pages

In the beginning of the book Maggie mentions a scar she received after her father left her with her brother alone to go buy cigarettes. She was burned with a hot pot of beans. To her, this action by her father was neglect. She states, “But I wasn’t like my brother. I couldn’t let things go” (Rash 31).

Read More

Compare And Contrast Twyla And Roberta In Recitatif

729 Words | 3 Pages

On one of the many times the two girls meet up, Roberta explains that Maggie reminded her of her mom, and that she was afraid of becoming like her: “And because she couldn’t talk—well, you know, I thought she was crazy. She’d been brought up in a mental institution like my mother was and like I thought I would be too” (251). Roberta disliked Maggie, not because Maggie had done something wrong to her, but because Maggie represents what she detests. Maggie cannot speak, perhaps in the same way that Twila and Roberta felt unable to talk about their struggles to the other children in the orphanage since their mothers were still alive. Throughout the story they are trying to figure out what happened to Maggie, and they never figure it out.

Read More

Analysis Of The First Betrayal By Patricia Bray

208 Words | 1 Pages

Analysis: The First Betrayal In “The First Betrayal,” Patricia Bray uses diction, detail, and imagery to convey a suspenseful mood in the story. Patricia bray creates suspense by using connotative diction that conveys a hopeless mood for the reader. For example, the words overwhelm, threatened, and consumed create suspense by making the readers feel that Josan will die when the lighthouse crumbles underneath him. The words terror, devour , and relentless also add to the feeling of apprehension because they suggest Josan will not escape the tower

Read More

Everyday Use By Eudora Welty Compare And Contrast

485 Words | 2 Pages

Mama is very protective of Maggie. Mama protects Maggie and doesn't expose her to the outside world very much. This makes Maggie awkwardly shy of people. Mama is aware of Maggies limitations and problems are a result of the fire. Even though Mama is strictly protective of Maggie, it shows her love for her.

Read More

Examples Of Betrayal In The Crucible

311 Words | 2 Pages

Betrayal is defined as the breaking or violating of a presumptive contract, trust, or confidence that produces moral and psychological conflict within a relationship among individuals (Dictionary.com). Betrayal plays a big role in The Crucible and it shows throughout the book. Abigail Williams, one of the main characters in the play, has shown many instances of betrayal and deception. Throughout the play, betrayal fuels her success in the witchcraft trials and is the main reason she did not get executed and was one of the main accusers.

Read More

How Does Roberta Become A Target For The Gar Girls

458 Words | 2 Pages

Due to her disability, which renders her mute and possibly deaf, Maggie becomes a target for the “gar girls” to torment and release their frustrations on. Throughout Morrison’s short story, Twyla and Roberta connect over their experiences with Maggie at various stages of their life, though their perceptions of Maggie change throughout the story. As a result of her disability, Maggie is unable to speak out against the other girls and lacks agency as a result, mirroring the helplessness of Twyla and Roberta, who are both confined to the children’s home due to no fault of their own. After witnessing the “gar girls” beat Maggie in the orchard, both Twyla and Roberta experience significant guilt at their failure to help Maggie. At first, Twyla claims

Read More

The Role Of Maggie In Alice Walker's Everyday Use

343 Words | 2 Pages

Maggie in Alice Walker’s short story “Everyday Use” plays the role of being the nervous and ugly sister of the story, however she is the child with the good heart. Maggie was nervous ashamed of her scars “Maggie was nervous… she will stand hopelessly in corners, homely ashamed of the burn scars down her arms and legs”. Living in a house with a pretty sister and being the ugly sister with scars could be the reason why she picked up on a timid personality, being ‘ashamed’ of her own skin shaping her in a way that she degraded herself from everybody else. Maggie was not this way before the fire, her mother stated, as it is quoted that she had adopted to a certain walk ever since the fire.

Read More

Childhood Trauma In Twyla's And Roberta

288 Words | 2 Pages

It is evident that Maggie is incapable of speaking because of that she becomes a blank slate, where Twyla, Roberta and even the readers project meaning unto her. According to Benjamin, "but as time goes on, their recollections of the Maggie incident change. Instead of being directed outward toward the kitchen lady, Twyla's and Roberta's conversations turn inward to consider the residual effects of their childhood trauma on their personal development" (Benjamin 11). For example, during the final lines, when Roberta admits her mistaken memory, they slowly confess that they projected their sufferings into Maggie:

Read More

A Comparison Of Cathedral By Raymond Carver And Everyday Use By Alice Walker

656 Words | 3 Pages

She is intimidated by Dee’s intelligence and would not debate with her, but then Momma says, “When I looked at her like that something hit me in the top of my head and ran down to the soles of my feet. Just like when I am in church and the spirit of God touches me and I get happy and shout. I did something I had never done before: hugged Maggie to me then dragged her on into the room, snatched the quilts out of Miss Wangero’s hands and dumped them into Maggies lap,”(p.76, par. 7) and in that instant you can feel that she has become a stronger person as a whole, just the same in Cathedral, when the Husband hears Robert is coming to visit and is blind he has no sympathy nor does he want Robert there. By the end of the book when they finish drawing with their eyes closed Robert says “I think that is it. I think you got it.

Read More

Recitatif By Tony Morrison

733 Words | 3 Pages

“Maggie was my dancing mother,” (Morrison 214). Twyla pairs her resentment toward her careless mother with the pity that she felt for Maggie. As Twyla compares her feelings of helplessness to Maggie’s, she states “I knew she wouldn’t scream, couldn’t—just like me—and I was glad about that.” (Morrison 213). Roberta also admits that she had wanted to kick Maggie.

Read More

What Are The Major Influences That Changed The Northern Renaissance Art Style

539 Words | 3 Pages

One of the major influences that changed the Northern Renaissance art style was the Reformation and the establishment of the Protestant church. Before Martin Luther came along, Italian Catholic cathedrals were donned with decoration with religious themes. They believed that they brought communication with God. Controversy, the protestants believed art and images of the like distracted those from God and would lead to adultery and other acts of sin. Therefore, the people of the Protestant church decided to instead create works of art with secular, mythological, or macabre themes, as well as portraits.

Read More

Mama In 'Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?'

1400 Words | 6 Pages

Once Mama realizes that Maggie had always stuck by her side she, “Hugged Maggie to [herself] , then dragged [Maggie] on into the room, snatched the quilts out of Miss Wangero’s hands and dumped them into Maggie’s lap” (Walker 616). Mama was acting on her epiphany, she knew that Maggie should be cared for and protected from her sister because she was loyal to her mother, it was the least she could do. She begins to realize that she was holding onto a daughter that did not embrace her family and so she let her go and embraced the daughter who was there for her all along. Mama’s change can also be demonstrated when she notices, “Maggie [smile]… a real smile, not scared… the two of [them] sat there just enjoying, until it was time to go in the house” (Walker 616).

Read More

Comparing The Awakening And Maggie: A Girl Of The Streets

921 Words | 4 Pages

At the point in the novella when Maggie is kicked out by her mother and brother, she “began to tremble” at the fact that her mother said to her, “Go t’ hell an’ good riddance” (Crane 726). When Maggie was kicked out of her house, she had nothing. She was scared, poor, and alone. The only thing she had to go to was prostitution. Maggie began to notice that she was following the footsteps of her mother and she knew that if she continued on with her life, it may not get any better.

Read More

Idealism And Pragmatism In Everyday Use By Alice Walker

1032 Words | 5 Pages

Sarnowski describes Maggie by stating, “She ekes out an existence on the family farm and has neither the intelligence nor the physical attributes of Dee/Wangero” (Sarnowski 278). This statement shows that Maggie lives a conservative type of farm life, and due to this lifestyle, she is less intelligent than her sister. This statement also shows how the character Maggie is described in a sense as inferior to Dee because of her lack of education and physical attributes. Maggie’s traditionalist ways show, however, when she tells her mother, “"She can have them, Mama,” … "I can 'member Grandma Dee without the quilts"” (Walker 6).

Read More

Dee's Identity In Everyday Use By Alice Walker

721 Words | 3 Pages

Maggie has a very bad relationship with her bigger sister Dee with jealousy and hatred. Mama always thinks that Maggie lives an unfair life but Maggie never said that. “Maggie asked me mama when Dee ever had friends” (Walker, 317, 14), this quote shows how Maggie is jalousie from Dee, actually dee has friends. When Maggie sees stuff she doesn’t like she hides it and doesn’t talk but when she knew that Dee wanted to take the quilt that mama promised to give her she dropped the plates and smashes the kitchen door very hard.

Read More

More about The Theme Of Betrayal In Maggie Hoskie's 'Trail Of Lightning'

Related Topics

Open Document