Analysis Of The Round House

When an adult goes through a series of experiences, specifically trauma, they are forced to grow up. The story The Round House, is about Joe, a thirteen year old boy who is forced into growing up in the midst of witnessing his family fall apart from the heinous rape and near murder of his mother. Because of the attack on his mother, Joe’s life is brought into a whirlwind of new realities. The rape of his mother forced Joe into learning how to handle the situation of his mother’s attack within himself, learning how to cope with the new way of his family, and ultimately taking the life of Linden Lark. Because of the actions taken by Lark against Geraldine, Joe was pushed into to growing up too fast.

Joe displays an array of role reversals with

When he goes to the Round House, Joe brings his friends Cappy, Angus, and Zack to see if they can find any evidence the police may not have found. Before his friends arrive, Joe thinks through the crime and is able to find the gas can that the attacker left behind. Joe swims out into the lake and is able to find the gas can, which is “evidence” he brings home to his father. There is also a cooler of beer and a set of old stained clothes he brings to his father’s attention and to the

While reading the cases, Joe learns that his father has not solved cases that he thinks are of importance, but at the end we find that these cases set a precedent for the Indians in getting to handle cases against those who commit crimes on their land. He tells this to Joe by stating “These are the decisions that I and many other tribal judges try to make. Solid decisions with no scattershot opinions attached. Everything we do, no matter how trivial, must be crafted keenly. We are trying to build a solid base here for our sovereignty. We try to press against the boundaries of what we are allowed, walk a step past the edge. Our records will be scrutinized by Congress one day and decisions on whether to enlarge our jurisdiction will be made.” (229) Because of these cases, Joe was not able to see at the time how they would affect the lives of those on the reservation in the future, just that his father was not the man he thought he