The Strangers: Year 5 Discussion

 It’s devastating after seeing Phoenix’s hope in Year 4 be dashed when Lisa, her son’s paternal great-grandmother who has custody of Sparrow, tells Phoenix she will never see her son. Despite having some hope, Phoenix is faced with someone else having an idea of who she is: someone who will never not be violent or incarcerated. Elsie reflects on being cast away by Margaret, who also has limiting beliefs Elsie’s identity. Margaret never forgot who the world told her she was, and the disappointment of believing otherwise. What does it mean to have others – or society – determine who you are? How do you think the women’s lives would have been Meanwhile, Cedar is starting anew at university, a goal she achieved her own with some support from her dad. She then gets invited to hang out with a group of Indigenous women that seem “fun and cool.” Is this hope in action? What does it mean to be ending the book on Cedar, instead of Margaret? There is no denying the hardships and trauma and other Indigenous people have experienced. But how does seeing only sorrow and despair affect Margaret and others? What else have you learned about family or culture that Margaret may not see or appreciate? Considering these two quotes, why do you think Margaret and her father had such different relationships with their identities as Metis people?

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Level 1
I think a big message of this book is confronting or acknowledging the stereotypes others, and society, determines for you. Phoenix has been labelled a dangerous offender, and while the crime she commits in The Break certainly warrants such punishment, it's also set her up to believe that is all she'll ever be. When that's reinforced by not being allowed any contact with her son, Phoenix has even less reason to stand up and overcome that label and stereotype. Elsie struggles to overcome never being wanted by her mother. Margaret is forever changed for the worse by Jacob's rejection. 
While reading, I couldn't help but wonder what life would have looked like if Margaret hadn't been rejected by Jacob ... if she had finished school and become a lawyer, even while having Elsie. Or even if she'd been able to adopt Elsie out to her sister-in-law and brother, as planned. Perhaps the rest of the story would have looked so different. Elsie would have grown up loved and wanted, and would have had healthy relationships to model to Phoenix and Cedar. Perhaps the family unit could have been protected to thrive, instead of ripped apart. 
What I found really interesting while reading was Margaret's dark and negative perception of her family and Metis people. While Margaret talks about the pain her family endured, and how burdened she felt by her family, I saw so many glimpses of love in her family. The family was always together, through the good times and the hard times. But Margaret honed in so closely on the sorrow and despair. Even in how she talks about Annie and Annie's sadness -- you also see so much joy and love from Annie, especially for Elsie. 
This really reminded me of stories from my own family. Times weren't always easy, especially in the "olden days", but they were together and more connected than families are today. While we have more comforts and privileges today, I often grieve for that togetherness that has been lost. I think we see that with the Stranger women too. Elsie, Phoenix and Cedar are so disconnected - they've lost everything Margaret took for granted. 
I think Margaret saw her culture and identity as a burden, a scarlet letter, whereas her father had appreciation for it because he saw more firsthand what his people went through to survive. 
Level 1
Yes its really interesting to think of Margaret's views and perceptions in life, and of her own life, something that sticks out for sure.  Although yes she comes from a place where strength and love was certainly found, a hard working Metis family just doing the best they could by their children, no not perfect but in that way of 'nothing ever is'.  Therefore her childhood/family overall did seem reasonable enough right?!  
When it comes to Margaret I immediately think about how she grew up in a generation when society wasn't so kind, or accepting of Indigenous people, and quite against them actually in many ways.  Meanwhile the message of the time was that the old days had to be done away with, this included Indigenous Identity, at least that was the mainstream message.  These were indeed harsh times perhaps even more so for Indigenous adults such as Margaret, expected to do away with who they were. 
So much is left unsaid throughout this story, giving way to only the imagination to fill in the gaps.  For example if we think of collective and or genetic trauma and the impact to Indigenous people (both groups and individuals) regardless of the place they came from, we know that people of Margaret's generation in particular were heavily impacted, and directly faced great hardship and oppressions just for being native.  
That's where my mind goes when it comes to understanding Margaret, I sense she's overall been impacted by societal ills she faced as an Indigenous child and then a woman of her time (collectively) while I can't help but wonder if she's been impacted by genetic trauma as well.  All of this causing her to feel vulnerable, and ashamed of her identity, like many Indigenous people of her generation were forced into at one point or another.   The impact to Margaret left her wishing to be something/someone else in such an intense way that I feel she ended up overcompensating when she finally got away to start a new life.  Unfortunately while overcompensating she lost sight of her own determination to succeed, causing a cycle she could just never seem to get out of.  Perhaps had things not went so badly for Phoenix and Elsie, Margaret might have been with a bit more joy and love in her soul.  She was only trying to protect her own future, and do something successful with her life right, as with many things in this story, the negative impacts to everyone's life just seem so overwhelming and inescapable.