Emancipation
E-man-ci-pation. Eman-cipation. This word would not stop banging around in his head. Emancipated. But they were not enslaved. Freed from being Indians was the idea. (80)
The author highlights the chilling and sinister connotations of the word "emancipation" by interrogating the way Americans have associated freedom with emancipation. For American Indians, the concept has instead meant centuries of removal and extermination.
Vera's Disappearance and Captivity
The novel is tinged with a sense of dramatic irony generated by the juxtaposition of the warm and quotidian communal life on the reservation and the isolated horror being visited upon Vera outside of the reservation. Because Erdrich includes brutal but cryptic snippets of Vera's situation throughout the novel, we are made aware of the outlines of her situation and of the stubborn naïveté that Patrice and Thomas still cling onto. Thomas' earnestness and sense of decency, in particular, shelter him from grasping until much later in the novel the true evil that has forced Vera into captivity.
Racism
One of the main assertions that Arthur V. Watkins, the primary proponent of the Termination Bill, tries to argue during the Congressional hearings is that Indians are poor because they are too lazy to farm their land and make it profitable. The irony of his statements is jarring given that the extreme hardworking ethic of Thomas and the delegation have led them to Washington D.C. to attend these hearings in the first place. Racism toward indigenous people keeps Watkins not only wholly ignorant of the people whom he refers to, but also galvanizes Native Americans to work harder and in a more united fashion than they would have without an external threat.
Romantic Love
Throughout most of the novel, Barnes is deeply attracted to Patrice, who does not return his affections despite his best efforts. In fact, it is precisely Barnes' intractable desire and attempt to express it that alienates Patrice from him. For example, he wants to show his affection to Patrice by buying her gifts, but thinks that she would be too proud to accept gifts from him. So, he decides to give a gift to Patrice's younger brother, as a harmless gesture of care. However, when Patrice sees her brother wearing the warm winter jacket that Barnes gifted him with, she is miffed and thinks that Barnes must think they are too poor to afford to buy their own jackets. The irony is generated from a misunderstanding between Patrice and Barnes and their stark differences.
