In addition to her use of symbolism, Erdrich also uses conflicts between characters to further

develop the idea that forced assimilation has very negatively impacts on Native Americans.

Perhaps most obviously, Erdrich describes how Henry fights with Lyman, and “[Henry] jumps

up and bowls me over” (Erdrich 11). Erdrich describes how Henry is left lost and conflicted after

he returns home, and eventually becomes violent towards his brother, and even injures him. This

demonstrates how the lasting impacts of Henry’s assimilation have largely destroyed his

relationship with his brother, with whom he was once very close. In addition to this, Henry was

also victim to much internal conflict, and “[His face] broke, like stones break all of a sudden

when water boils up inside them….‘I know. I can’t help it. It's no use’” (Erdrich 10). Henry

faced tremendous internal conflict when he returned to the reservation, as the assimilatory effects

of his time in the military had removed him and disconnected him from his Native American

culture, and he was struggling to rejoin it and embrace it again. This excerpt shows how he

bottled these feelings up until they finally spilled out during the conversation with Lyman at the

river. This clearly illustrates how the intense internal conflict Henry was going through, as the

choice between his heritage and the white customs he was not accustomed to proved very, very

difficult. Erdrich used several examples of conflict to demonstrate how assimilation caused

extreme harm to Native Americans.