April Raintree

April Raintree

By Beatrice Culleton

About April

Events

"half-breed"

April is ashamed to be a Metis.

According to the chapter 1, page 6, " There were two different groups of children that went to the park. One group was the brown-skinned children who looked like Cheryl in most ways. The other group was fair-skinned and I used to envy them, especially the girls with blond hair and blue eyes", April felt being ignored by two groups since she was a little girl.

"I wouldn't have to worry about changing the spelling of my name because now legally April Radcliff."

When April moved to the DeRosier, they used the word "half-breed" to insult her. That causes April having so much negative ideas of Metis people. In chapter 3, page 34, "Being a half-breed meant being poor and dirty. It meant being weak and having to drink. It meant being ugly and stupid." April wanted to change her name Raintree to "Raintry"to live like a real white person.

Based on the beginning of chapter 9, page 87, " I would have to remind myself of this, over the following days, even pinch myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming." April was very overwhelmed about her social position upgraded by getting married with Bob. However, she realized that she never be a part of 'white society'. Just like the moment Mrs. Dion gave her a pretty dress from Nicole's closet. In a short time April was feeling happy but the happiness from something is not belong to her does not last forever.

"Poor Foster Home"

There is the remarkable incident about what normally white people think of Metis. When April invited Cheryl for Christmas holidays, some of the important people who April had met, refers to the quote from page 91, ignored and looked down on Cheryl. "You're not exactly Indians are you? What is the proper word for people like you? one asked. "We're Canadians." Cheryl smiled sweetly. At that moment, April felt like crawling into a hole. She was so embarrassed for Cheryl. I think April stuck in the middle of two sides. In one side, even April changed her name and lived in such a fancy mansion, somehow she had feeling she had landed in another foster home. In the other side, April loved and embarrassed her own sister Cheryl at the same time because Cheryl could not hide her heritage as a Metis.

April had hard times living in the DeRosier.

"Mansion"

"Pretend that we're orphans" VS "Have a family reunion"

April describes her life with the DeRosiers was miserable. In chapter3, page 26, "I was left alone in a small room at the back of the house. It was cold, smelled moldy and felt damp. There wasn't even a closet, just nails sticking out all over the walls." not only poor conditions she had in the DeRosiers but also child abuse including child labour, racism and discrimination she had to get through to live as a foster kid.

At the moment April had a chance to tell about what was happened to their parents to Cheryl, refers to the quote from page 93, "They were liars, weaklings, and drunkards. But I couldn't tell her that alcohol was more important to our parents than their own daughters. I had given her cherished memories of them. Those memories and her too idealistic outlook for the future of native people, those things helped her and gave her something to live for.", April hid the truth of their parents to Cheryl and gave her the names and addresses down because she was sure that chances of Cheryl finding their parents were so slim. Therefore, there would never be a complete honesty between April and Cheryl. They chose two different roads to live.

The other road Cheryl decided to walk led to find her parents and destroy her life as well. According to chapter 17, page 174, "I see more and more what April sees, broken people with broken houses and broken furniture. No wonder April ran. She was horrified that this was her legacy.", Cheryl started losing her dream to live for and she said, "I feel like April does, I despise these people, these gutter-creatures. They are losers." At the time Cheryl knows she can't have a GREAT FAMILY REUNION, she let herself into hopeless situation.

In the end of chapter 3, April said, " I was just going to be alone, unloved, with nothing to look forward to. For seven more years...", I am doubt about Canadian Social Service of Foster Homes. Is that a good social service for kids? No one can take good care of children but their own parents. Even when April lived with the Dions who provided a real family life, she missed her mom and dad. Based on page 21, "It didn't matter that they were sick and couldn't give us anything. I thought then that I would always love them, no matter what." kids should be loved and have dreams to look forward to.

"Finding Their Parents"

"The Louise bridge"

"...you know what happened to our poor, dear Mother? She jumped off the Louise Bridge."

I think it is a tragic that it had taken Cheryl's death to bring April to accept her identity like April mentioned in the end of the story. However, I still don't understand how or why April could accept her legacy clearly. In my view, one of main reason why April kept denying her identity was the discrimination being Metis. Yet, the discrimination did not matter to Cheryl, well, she had guts to fight against the unfairness. April mentioned who Cheryl was, refers from the page 95, "Cheryl, on the other hand, had nothing to hide. For one thing, she never worried about what people thought of her. Only what she thought about them, was what mattered to her." Anyway, Cheryl jumped off the Louise bridge just like her poor mother. After that, April met Cheryl's son, Henry Liberty. She mentioned, "Cheryl had died. But for Henry Liberty and me, there would be a tomorrow." I still have questions about that all the terrible anguish April had have to be Metis were solved because of Cheryl's death?

About Cheryl

"Louise Riel"

Cheryl is proud of to be a Metis.

The book Cheryl buys for her birthday was about Louise Riel. According to the page 30, "He's a Metis, like us, Cheryl said proudly. It means we're part- Indian and part-white. I wish we were whole Indians.", she identified herself as an Indian under the white - dominant society. I think that is the reason why Cheryl wants to be a social worker, one of the better social worker, in order to help other kids like April and Cheryl based on the page 69.

My Personal Responses

Cheryl is strong willed person and doesn't let herself be the victim. Based on the chapter 4, page 40, " If this is history, how come so many Indian tribes were wiped out? How come they haven't got their land anymore?", and page 41, "Giving me the strap isn't going to change the fact that your history books are full of lies.", I understand Cheryl's personality easily. The reason I chose this picture of Louise Riel is that Cheryl is greatly influenced by the story of Louise Riel. By the way, the bridge she jupmed off is the Louise Bridge.

"Hold Your Head Up High"

"I'm an old pro now. I'm working the streets full time."

" Native girl syndrome"

On the chapter 4, page 48, "Mrs. Semple gave us a little speech about what she called the native girls' syndrome. "It starts out with the fighting, the running away, the lies. There are the sullen uncooperative silences, the feeling sorry for yourselves. And when you go on your own, you get pregnant right away or you can't find or keep jobs. So you'll start with alcohol and drugs. From there, you get into shoplifting and prostitution and in and out of jails. You'll live with men who abuse you. And on it goes. You'll end up like your parents, living off society." How terrible story I had ever heard! As a social worker, she should not say like that even if it is true in some way. Cheryl ended up like Mrs. Semple said, anyway, but I have questions of what if April told the truth about their parents to Cheryl or what if Cheryl has a little more flexible personality to sudden changes. I think that meeting with her dad, Henry Raintree, changed her into hopeless and destroyed her life.

The reason why I chose this particular image is that I can see her eyes in deep sorrow with firm determination. April Raintree is actually my first book about a Metis. I don't even know in term of FN and Metis at all before this story. When I read the story about April Raintree, I felt shocked, sad and angry. And also this story raises different social issues such as alcoholism, foster homes and racism etc. However, My personal thought is that there is no time to mourn because God helps those who help themselves. Don't you think that the girl in this picture say, "No more defeatism, no more self-pity. We have all the right to hold our head up high"