TATSEA: ESSAY/ DISCUSSION QUESTIONS ABOUT THE ENTIRE NOVEL.

1. Discuss the effectiveness of the use of stories in the novel.

2. Discuss the effectiveness of the use of dreams in the novel.

3. Who is more convincing as a character, Tatsea or Ikotsali?

4. What modern drug has medicinal properities similar to those of the inner bark of the red willow?

5. Who is the more “spiritual” character, Tatsea or Ikotsali?

6. Many novels with young aboriginal women as protagonists portray their struggles to be allowed to engage in male activities. What part do shifts in gender roles play in this novel?

7. Why doesn’t Ikotsali use his power more frequently? Is the portrayal of Ikotsali’s “medicine power” in the novel convincing?

8. What motive might Blueleg have had to protect Tatsea from Redcoat and the boy?

9. What change to their relationship with the land and the wildlife are Tatsea and Ikotsali resisting?

10. What keeps Ikotsali going on what frequently seems to be a hopeless quest?

11. Is there any humour in this novel?

12. Why are the numerous hunting scenes important for this novel?

13. Why does Tatsea decide to follow her captors after the first wife cuts her loose from the tree?

14. Would you say that the use of Dogrib words hinders or enhances the experience of reading this novel?

15. In a review on New Winnipeg.com, Kim Trach wrote, “While the story is wonderful to read, a comfortable tale to get lost in, it must sacrifice any claim to inspiration. As a reader I am grateful to fall into its cozy pages, thankful that somebody is bothering to tell a story again while still treating me like an intelligent reader. At the same time, I never felt challenged or roused by the read as more abstract novels are able to.” Using evidence from the novel to support your position, agree or disagree with this statement.

16. In a Winnipeg Free Press review, Gordon Morash wrote, “ The dreams and tales clouding and providing sustenance to the protagonists’ imaginations are well executed and do not feel merely tacked on—“ Develop an argument agreeing or disagreeing with this statement.

17. In a Winnipeg Free Press review, Gordon Morash wrote, “ Though Tatsea remains in the shadow of other books in the first contact/fur trade genre—namely Rudy Wiebe’s A Discovery of Strangers, Fred Stenson’s The Trade and Brian Moore’s Black Robe—it is not without considerable charm.” Read one or more of the novels mentioned and discuss the validity of Gordon Morash’s statement.

18. In a personal note to the author, Duncan McMonagle wrote about Tatsea, “The last sentence is wonderful: an ironic shock that makes the reader rethink all the stories in the book.” Using evidence from the novel develop an argument explaining this statement.

19. Compare Tatsea with other young female protagonist novels such as Scott O’Dell’s Island of the Blue Dolphins, Jean Craighead George’s Julie of the Wolves, Jan Hudson’s Dawn Rider or Diane Matchek’s The Sacrifice.