The Break

Content Warning: This section of the guide discusses sexual and physical violence and racism against Indigenous people.

The Break,” as a barren piece of land, exists between the traditional reservations of the Métis people and Winnipeg, which represents the colonized land by white Europeans. It serves as a motif within the novel to illustrate the characters’ struggles against racism and grapples with Indigenous Identity in a Colonized Culture. Stella, who lives on the edge of this land, struggles with her own identity as she has seemingly lost ties to her family through her marriage with Jeff. In Chapter 1, the Break appears to be “mostly a blank slate of white stretched out to the house beyond” due to the snow (8). The imagery of the white snow that covers the land between the hydro towers and other houses reflects processes of cultural erasure, depicting the impact of colonization on its inhabitants, including Stella. The houses were originally “built for Eastern European immigrants,” but, once Indigenous peoples moved to the neighborhoods, the immigrants “slowly starting creeping out of the neighborhood” (3-4). The word “creeping” implies stealth, as though the Europeans are quietly escaping a threat, highlighting their negative perceptions of Indigenous people.