A Yellow Raft In Blue Water Analysis

People don’t always deal with the same issues in the same way. In the novel, A Yellow Raft in Blue Water, author Michael Dorris explores the perspectives of three women whose stories are tangled together through a history of secrets and lies. Rayona, Christine, and Ida all deal with their own share of hardships throughout the course of the novel. As each new perspective is revealed, it becomes clear that our three protagonists face issues with self discovery, a desire to fit in, and personal growth. Despite that though, each one deals with those problems in different ways. Apologetic, aggressive, and distant--Dorris’s effective use of word choice enables the reader to tap into the mindsets of each of these characters, allowing us to see

things through their eyes, and to better grasp each of their refreshingly unique voices as they navigate through similar struggles.
Rayona makes it clear throughout her portion of the novel that she believes she is a burden to other people. Her feelings are revealed to the reader in the third chapter, after Christine leaves her at Ida’s house. “Mom’s the one that’s eating at her, and I’m just the unwelcome reminder, a bad news list stuck under a Happy Face on her refrigerator… [Aunt Ida] begrudges me for the space I take...” (37). By saying she is an “unwelcome reminder” and likening herself to the “bad news list” on the refrigerator, it becomes clear that Rayona feels like she is unwanted by Ida--she doesn’t feel welcome. It’s a simple fact that nobody likes bad news and nobody wants to be a reminder of something negative, but nevertheless Rayona finds herself feeling that way here. This part of Rayona’s story almost parallels Christine’s, only rather than act out against Ida, she stays out of her way and keeps quiet so as not to inconvenience her further. “FIND A QUOTE.”
Christine prefers the aggressive approach for nearly all of her struggles. Much unlike her daughter, throughout the novel she adopts a defensive tone that almost dares people to find fault with her. As she remembers the events of her life, Christine makes sure everyone knows how hard she had it, especially when she tells us about her life on the reservation. “You try to put together cute outfits from the secondhand trash at the charity store. You try to have fun when there’s nowhere to go and you might be related to every other boy in town” (141). Here, her tone is almost accusatory. Christine does ( FIX & TALK ABOUT HER ACTING OUT AGAINST IDA. )
Rather than being open about what she is going through, Ida has learned to distance herself from those around her to avoid being hurt.

One example of this is when she tells the reader about her time mothering Christine. She explains her reasoning for making Christine call her aunt Ida, saying, “and every time she said it, the feelings for her that I couldn’t help… got flaked away. That was as I intended. Someday Clara would arrive at the door and might steal Christine back” (325). Rather than be the best mother she could be, Ida felt she needed to distance herself from Christine so as to save herself the heartbreak. She doesn’t consider the effects it might have on Christine, however, and is instead so focused on preserving her own feelings that she fails to give her “daughter” the nurturing she needs and deserves. By using the word “steal” in the quote, the author is able to effectively show the reader that even though Christine is not really Ida’s child, she still cares for her in the same way, and the possibility that she might lose her is frightening. In the very next paragraph, Ida exhibits these same behaviors with Father Hurlburt. “I didn’t want to need those evenings--their regularity was irritating to me because I was sure that as soon as I expected Father Hurlburt, he would cease to come--so I remained aloof” (325). In this passage, Ida explicitly tells the reader that she believes???

EXPAND.
Despite the similarity between the struggles of our antagonists, their situations remain separate and unique from one another due to their differing perspectives and mindsets. EXPAND.