Points of View

The story is told from the first-person point of view of the characters, Pauline and Nanapush. Their perspectives show the reader the plight of the Native Americans from two opposing viewpoints. Nanapush's views about religion, land, and whites are totally different from Pauline's. He is casual about religion while she is a fanatic. He wants the reservation to stay the same while she does not care about the whites buying land. He has problems with certain white people, while she prefers whites to Indians and even wants to be white. Nanapush tells about wanting to hold on to the Indian traditions, while Pauline shows a breaking away from traditions.

The reader also sees their different reactions to Fleur, a major character. He wants to help Fleur, while she wants to change her and ultimately harms her. However, Nanapush stays levelheaded throughout his narration while Pauline's mental...