Empire of Wild

Dimaline’s novel incorporates aspects of multiple genres, including mystery novels. Joan is obsessed with solving the mystery of what happened to her husband, and much of the plot is driven by suspense over whether or not she will be able to. Joan is driven by her inability to accept that Victor simply abandoned her and then subsequently her desire to save him. Joan’s courageous and sometimes idealistic nature positions her as the hero and protagonist of the novel; her name, and the name of her town, clearly allude to Joan of Arc, a famous historical figure who contributed to French war efforts during a period of military conflict in the 15th century.

However, while Joan shares her namesake’s willingness to forge ahead while many doubt her, the allusion also hints that her path will not be easy. Joan of Arc was burned at the stake after her claims that she could hear the voice of God were interpreted as witchcraft, and Joan likewise risks losing her credibility by making claims that seem outrageous. Joan’s own mother flatly refuses to believe Joan’s claims that she has seen Victor, cautioning her daughter, “[N]o one wants a crazy woman building their house” (63).

Joan’s experience would indeed seem highly improbable, but Dimaline carefully sets the stage for her novel to encompass aspects of magical realism. Magical realism is a fictional genre in which magical or supernatural elements appear alongside an otherwise realistic depiction of the world. It has been used by writers from many different cultures as a vehicle for social and political critique and is often associated with cultures and regions that have been subjected to colonialism and oppression. Magical realism asserts that a dominant mode of storytelling (realism) may be insufficient to capture all stories and experiences, and it often works to subvert the narrative status quo, thus hinting that what apparently seems “real”—for example, who holds power in a given society—is not as stable as it may seem.

Dimaline uses magic realism to incorporate aspects of Métis folklore, particularly the figure of the rogarou. The legend of the rogarou is tied to keeping individuals safe and maintaining social order: “[T]he stories of the rogarou kept the community in its circle, behind the line” (4). While he is depicted as a sinister and frightening figure, it seems that the rogarou primarily poses a threat to those who either deviate from norms and expectations or cause harm to others. This depiction sets up the tension that will circle around the rogarou throughout the novel: Is he a terrifying monster or something more nuanced? The discussion of the myth of the rogarou also establishes how storytelling and traditional wisdom often lie at the heart of Indigenous culture. Rather than codifying and passing laws to restrict actions that would harm the community, stories are passed down from generation to generation.

The evocation of Métis culture is also paired with context about the many abuses and traumas suffered by Indigenous people in Canada. The history of the town of Arcand is intertwined with the ways in which the Métis were repeatedly displaced and forced to move to less desirable locations, serving as a microcosm for how many Indigenous peoples in both Canada and the United States have been driven away from their ancestral lands, stripped of their territories, or confined to reservations. The specific events that led to the Métis settling in the Georgian Bay region are tied to the establishment of what would become the Canadian-United States border after the War of 1812, highlighting how geopolitical conflicts between Western nations impacted Indigenous people who had no say in these events. The allusion to Métis families from the Red River settlement, “who had journeyed from Manitoba” (2), evoke the significant history of the Métis people in Canada; the settlement was the site of armed rebellions against the Canadian government when they refused to recognize the rights of the Métis.

In addition to allusions to Indigenous history, the novel also situates its plot amidst the ongoing racism and vulnerability faced by Indigenous people. The rogarou is reputed to “roa[m] the roads” (3), and his presence “kept [girls] off the road or made you walk in packs” (4). This use of folklore hints at the disproportionately high rates of violence and disappearance faced by Indigenous women. Between 2016 and 2019, the Canadian government conducted a public inquiry known as the National Inquiry Into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls in response to public pressure around the many cases of Indigenous women and girls who were murdered or vanished. The inquiry connected the high rates of violence to ongoing racism toward Indigenous peoples. These racist perspectives also emerge when Joan’s claims that Victor is her husband are quickly brushed aside with the assumption that she is drunk, under the influence of drugs, experiencing mental illness, or some combination thereof. Since Joan is an Indigenous woman, no one is very invested in listening to her claims, and Heiser can use his authority and privilege as a white man to quickly brush her aside.

The complex and challenging history of Indigenous peoples within Canada is also shown to cause internal tension within communities and families. Mere is outraged when Junior contemplates going to work for a local mining company because it is clear to her that this industry is extractive, damaging to the environment, and disconnected from traditional Indigenous values. This debate reflects the tensions regarding Exploitation Versus Respect for Land. When she attempts to cut off his braid, she symbolically implies that he will be cast out from his family and Indigenous identity if he makes this decision. While Junior backs down, his mother articulates the economic challenges that make it hard to resist opportunities: “[S]ometimes we have to do what we have to do […] what are we supposed to do? Stay poor?” (21). The tension between Joan’s grandmother, mother, and brother shows how different generations of Indigenous people struggle to maintain connections to their cultural identities while also responding to the pressures of the modern world.

The theme of Identity Through Community and Connection also surfaces in Victor’s apparent amnesia. Victor neither remembers Joan nor recalls his own name; his entire identity has been forgotten. This strange turn of events reflects a real threat faced by Indigenous individuals: that they will forget their culture and be subsumed by colonialism. Victor has not only forgotten who he is, but he also turns up with a new identity as an evangelical Christian minister.

This element of the novel is also rooted in real historical experience: Almost as soon as European settlers made contact with Indigenous people in Canada (and in many other locations that were colonized by European powers), they began efforts to convert Indigenous peoples to Christianity. These efforts sometimes took the form of coercive and abusive practices, as in the case of Canada’s residential school system and its extensive history of moving young children to residential schools, where they lived under terrible conditions and were frequently subjected to abuse. Victor’s transformation into a devout Christian therefore reflects concerns about the loss of Indigenous identity and culture under colonial pressures while also speaking to the potentially Damaging Effects of Religious Indoctrination.