The Outside Circle

Content Warning: This section of the guide discusses violence, substance abuse, and abuse of Indigenous people.

Drawing on the author’s extensive research in Indigenous healing and her personal healing journey, The Outside Circle delves into the profound issue of intergenerational trauma within Indigenous communities. By doing so, the novel also sheds light on the enduring legacy of colonialism, demonstrating that colonialism is the root cause of this trauma and highlighting the disproportionate number of Aboriginal men in the criminal justice system.

Pete Carver, the main character of the novel, serves as a poignant representation of the profound impact of intergenerational trauma. His involvement in gang activities and his propensity for violence and aggression paint a vivid picture of the challenges faced by many Indigenous individuals in Canada. He symbolically wears a mask to hide his true self—to “hurt other people and feel nothing” (95). His family, like many other Indigenous families in Canada, was torn apart by colonialism: His mother was forcibly separated from her parents, and her life took a tragic turn into poverty and addiction, ultimately resulting in her death. On Page 34, LaBoucane-Benson uses statistics, such as “23% of Aboriginal youth drop out of high school” (34), to illustrate the issues faced by Aboriginal people in modern-day Canada: unemployment, poverty, racism, undereducation, and more.