The Loons by Margaret Laurence :: Laurence Loons Essays

"The Loons" by Marg atomic number 18t Laurence   In the short report "The Loons", Margaret Laurence writes the story of Piquette Tonnerre. A half-Indian girl who grows up under harsh circumstances in a society that suppresses half-breeds. The story is told through some other girl, Vanessa, who comes in advert with Piquette through her father. As the title suggests the story likewise includes a supernumerary type of birds, the loons, and we can see an obvious comparison between the loons and Piquette. The loons are very special creatures they are man-shy and can only be perceive at night when they start their cry-like calling. It is said that one that has heard the loons cry, pull up stakes not ever forget it. One of the main parts, or perchance the main part of the story, takes place by a lake that is the habitat of a group of these birds, and one could say that the whole story evolves around these beings. The gentleman destroying of the loons n atural habitat symbolizes the invasion the white people made on the Indians territory. This is Piquettes background, and as the birds she suffers from this. The loons show no interest in humans and Piquette also as it seems has stopped caring about other people. She acts indifferently to her surroundings, and nowhere in the story can we see her showing any earnest feelings. As the birds become familiar to a new environment border on their invaders, and have the chance to adapt to this "nearer to civilian life", Piquette marries a white man and has the chance to make a new life. some(prenominal) the birds chance and Piquettes attempt fail. Now they are forced to find another way of living. Their old way has been destroyed by the newcomers, and they have not succeeded in adapting to the white peoples unyielding life style. "Perhaps they had gone apart to some far place of be. Perhaps they had been unable to find such(prenominal) a place, and had simply died out, hav ing ceased to care any longer whether they lived or not."   This is a strange way to describe a group of birds, and in this deterrent example I think the meaning is directed towards Piquette entirely. The far place of belonging being the old way of the Indians, which she has been "unable to find" because of the European invaders.