44 pages 1 hour read

Louise Erdrich

The Game of Silence

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2005

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Themes

The Supportive Influence of Family

In The Game of Silence, Erdrich emphasizes the importance of family. Omakayas deeply loves her parents, siblings, and grandmother. She relates her identity to them and is devoted to their communal living. A major motivator of Omakayas’s character development is her desire to grow out of childhood and contribute more fully to her family’s wellbeing. Omakayas’s family is connected through their shared experiences. For example, the loss of Omakayas’s youngest brother still haunts the family, but it also brings them closer together. As the narrative states, “Nobody said the names of those who had died [to avoid] attract[ing] the spirits of the dead. […] It was better to let even the most loved ones go along on their journey into the next world” (8). Therefore, no matter how much they miss their lost family member, they honor his passing and respect his spirit. This unspoken dynamic suggests that the family has sacrificed their own sense of comfort in the effort to let the spirit of their lost loved one go on his way. Just as they honor the dead, they also commit to nurturing new life in the family, as is demonstrated when Yellow Kettle adopts

Related Titles

By Louise Erdrich

Study Guide

logo

Antelope Woman

Louise Erdrich

Antelope Woman

Louise Erdrich

Study Guide

logo

Future Home of the Living God

Louise Erdrich

Future Home of the Living God

Louise Erdrich

Study Guide

logo

Love Medicine

Louise Erdrich

Love Medicine

Louise Erdrich

Plot Summary

logo

Shadow Tag

Louise Erdrich

Shadow Tag

Louise Erdrich

Study Guide

logo

The Beet Queen

Louise Erdrich

The Beet Queen

Louise Erdrich

Plot Summary

logo

The Bingo Palace

Louise Erdrich

The Bingo Palace

Louise Erdrich

Study Guide

logo

The Leap

Louise Erdrich

The Leap

Louise Erdrich

Plot Summary

logo

The Master Butchers Singing Club

Louise Erdrich

The Master Butchers Singing Club

Louise Erdrich

Study Guide

logo

The Mighty Red

Louise Erdrich

The Mighty Red

Louise Erdrich

Study Guide

logo

The Painted Drum

Louise Erdrich

The Painted Drum

Louise Erdrich

Study Guide

logo

The Plague Of Doves

Louise Erdrich

The Plague Of Doves

Louise Erdrich

Study Guide

logo

The Red Convertible

Louise Erdrich

The Red Convertible

Louise Erdrich

Study Guide

logo

The Round House

Louise Erdrich

The Round House

Louise Erdrich

Study Guide

logo

The Shawl

Louise Erdrich

The Shawl

Louise Erdrich