When Two Feathers Fell From the Sky

Content Warning: This section of the guide describes and discusses the novel’s depictions of alcohol addiction and racism.

“After the laying of the tracks to Glendale was blocked by running into that ancient, prehistoric burial ground, which aside from being in the way, contained pots, effigies, ear spoons, and whatnots, all worth a lot.”

The Prologue contextualizes the novel’s setting—the summer of 1926—within the long history of violence against Indigenous communities in the United States. This passage suggests that the destruction of ancient burial grounds during the construction of Glendale Park belongs to that history of violence. In addition to destroying the burial ground, white residents also stole sacred artifacts from the grave.

“Mrs. Hampton, who knew Two was on loan from the 101, the last Wild West show in existence, assumed that she was a Wild Indian and Two Feathers was her real name. But she didn’t know if Two should be treated like a white or a Negro. And that was important. Standards had to be maintained.”

This passage highlights the complex Racial and Ethnic Tensions in 1920s America. As an Indigenous woman, Two troubles the social boundaries between white Tennesseans and the descendants of enslaved people. Two knows that people like Helen calibrate their treatment of her based on her proximity to whiteness—if she is treated well by white people, it is at the expense of her Black co-workers.

“Duncan wasn’t as eager to destroy a grave as he’d been as a youngster. Since then, he’d lost a wife to the Spanish influenza and had developed a thyroid disorder.”

White characters like James Shackleford and Duncan Shelton remain unashamed of their grave-robbing history, and actively reminisce about the sacred relics they’ve stolen. However, this passage suggests that the trauma of the late 19th and early 20th centuries had a profound impact on these men, exposing them to death on a personal scale and underscoring The Lasting Effects of Grief and Trauma.