The Loons by Margaret Laurence :: Laurence Loons Essays

"The Loons" by Margaret Laurence   In the short story "The Loons", Margaret Laurence writes the story of Piquette Tonnerre. A half-Indian miss who grows up under harsh circumstances in a society that suppresses half-breeds. The story is told through another girl, Vanessa, who comes in contact with Piquette through her father. As the denomination suggests the story besides includes a special type of birds, the loons, and we grass see an obvious comparison between the loons and Piquette. The loons are very special creatures they are world-shy and can only be heard at night when they start their cry-like calling. It is said that one that has heard the loons cry, will not ever forget it. One of the briny parts, or maybe the main part of the story, takes place by a lake that is the habitat of a classify of these birds, and one could say that the whole story evolves almost these beings. The human destroying of the loons natural habitat symbolizes the in vasion the white people made on the Indians territory. This is Piquettes background, and as the birds she suffers from this. The loons show no interest in humans and Piquette also as it seems has stopped caring about other people. She acts indifferently to her surroundings, and nowhere in the story can we see her showing any heartfelt feelings. As the birds become familiar to a new environment near their invaders, and have the chance to adapt to this "nearer to civilian life", Piquette marries a white man and has the chance to make a new life. Both the birds chance and Piquettes attempt fail. Now they are forced to find another means of living. Their old way has been destroyed by the newcomers, and they have not succeeded in adapting to the white peoples unyielding life style. " perhaps they had gone away to some far place of belonging. Perhaps they had been unable to find such a place, and had simply died out, having ceased to care any longer whether they lived or no t."   This is a strange way to describe a group of birds, and in this case I think the meaning is directed towards Piquette entirely. The far place of belonging being the old way of the Indians, which she has been "unable to find" because of the European invaders.