The Orenda By Joseph Boyden

With different biases, history can be interpreted in countless ways. The literary theory of New Historicism connects literature to its time period. This theory greatly connects to the novel The Orenda. Throughout this novel, the reader is able to see how different the cultures are between the Indigenous people and the French Christian missionaries, as well as the downfall of Native culture and the events that lead up to this. The readers are also able to observe how the narrator shows all sides to this story, not holding any biases on who’s at fault. The author even displays the similarities between the characters. By looking at the novel The Orenda by Joseph Boyden through the lens of New Historicism, the reader can observe the difference

The Orenda is narrated by the three main characters, this includes Bird, Snow Falls and Christophe. By choosing this way of narration for this novel, the reader is able to observe all sides of the story. As there are three main groups surrounding the plot, by having Bird, a Huron, Snow Falls, an Iroquois, as well as Christophe, a French Jesuit missionary. All these characters showing their diverse perspective to the situations they are in, also allowing the reader to see why they choose the actions they are taking. Therefore, the reader can see that all these characters are doing what they believe is right, such as Christophe thinking that Christianity will truly save these “sauvages”, thus the reader cannot see any character as doubtlessly evil. “But who is at fault […]? It’s tempting to place blame, though loss should never be weight in this manner.” (Boyden 3) Although the Europeans are the main factor of how the Indigenous people had their identity taken from them as “[i]t’s unfair, though, to blame only the crows, yes? It’s our responsibility in the whole affair.” (Boyden 153) Boyden refuses to pin the French as the ones to do this to the Natives, as both parties ultimately had a part, as the Hurons initially wanted to trade with the Europeans for their advanced

When talking to one of the Jesuit missionaries regrading his daughter’s wellbeing, Bird realizes that “[s]ometimes [their] differences aren’t so many” (Boyden 407). He comprehends that although they are vastly different in numerous ways, they still care about the good of those they care about. Therefore, the readers can humanize the characters, seeing them as people. When discussing the torture the Huron and Iroquois administrate to each other, the French Jesuit missionaries discuss why they would hurt another human so ruthlessly. Christophe puts into question “[w]hy […] the Spanish Inquisition do[es] what it does? […] Why does [their] own Church burn witches at the stake? Why did [their] own crusades punish the Moors so exquisitely?” (Boyden 256) Throughout the novel Christophe grasps that the European and Indigenous ways of life have their similarities and are not as diverse as he initially though upon arriving to this unknown country. Finally, Bird accepts the fact that the Huron and Iroquois tribes are not “so different from [each other].” (Boyden 105) Although they are enemy tribes currently in war with each other, Bird acknowledges that they do have their similarities, and he respects this. By showing readers that these groups have their similarities, Boyden lets the reader empathize with the characters and what they