Emotion awakens only when someone is gone
This is true especially in the case of the Cree girl. The narrator only remembers her presence once she's out of his home and his life. He describes her as being only a fish for dinner but then longingly remembers the way she looked next to his bed. He tries to convince himself that he's only going after her because of the gun and razor she stole, but then forgets his plan once she is in front of him he wants to convince her to come back to him. It seems as though he is blinded by the guilt and sorrow for his brother and for that reason can't see what's in front of him. One can't help but raise the question why is it that the only people the narrator ever cared about are the ones he lost. He is living in the memory of them and is unable to make new connections and new memories with others. It seems as if true appreciation only awakens when something is lost.
Beauty as an inspiration to both admiration and scorn
The narrator's grandmother was a real beauty when she was younger, this is what she claims herself and Yellow Calf later confirms. This beauty captured the Blackfeet chief Standing Bear and she became the youngest of his wives. She was the center of admiration in the tribe for her beauty. But, when Standing Bear is killed and the tribe is facing a crisis of winter, her beauty begins to work in her disadvantage. It is believed to be the reason for their misfortune and those who once admired her began to look at her with scornful eyes; it is as if they were just looking for a reason to find the fault in her.
Seeing clearly only at the toughest time
While talking about the history of the Blackfeet tribe and how his grandmother became out casted, Yellow Calf mentions the irony of being full and satisfied-the senses are not sharp and the vision is blurred. It is only when there is nothing to eat and one is forced to look around that the vision is sharpened and one begins to look clearly. Ironically, this sharpening of the senses made the members of the tribe to turn their hungry eyes at the narrator's grandmother, whose beauty appeared as a mockery to their state.
Irony of First Raise
When talking about his father the narrator ironically remarks the life he had. He was making the white people laugh at the bar, therefore he seemed the happiest. The white men all left the bar early to go home and wake up in time for work , their lives were orderly, while First Raise was the one who stayed there the longest, meaning that he had no work to prepare for which means that his life wasn't as orderly as theirs, to say the least.
