logo

56 pages 1 hour read

Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle

Even As We Breathe

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2020

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.

Essay Topics

1.

What role does memory play in the novel? What forms do memories take? How do they influence the feelings, lives, and experiences of Cowney and the other characters?

2.

Consider the role of Bud in the novel. Is he a traditional literary antagonist? Does he demonstrate any kind of growth or “arc” in the novel the way Cowney does? Why or why not?

3.

Cowney experiences male mentorship in many ways throughout the novel. Analyze his relationships with Lee, Jon, and Tsa Tsi. In what ways are Cowney’s relationships with these men similar or different? How does each influence him through his coming-of-age journey?

4.

Throughout the novel, Cowney wrestles with his feelings about his Cherokee heritage and identity. What role does Indigenous identity play in the novel? How is it experienced by Cowney and the other characters?

5.

Essie and Cowney are both Cherokee and both face similar dilemmas. What role does gender play in shaping their life trajectories and expectations? How does Essie’s status and experience as a woman shape her worldview? How do notions of masculinity shape Cowney’s development?

6.

Nature plays an important role throughout the novel. How does nature function as a setting? What natural symbolism does the novel use, and why? What is the role of the natural world in the lives of the characters more generally?

7.

In many ways, Even As We Breathe is a coming-of-age story. In what way does the novel conform or defy expectations associated with that genre of storytelling?

8.

Cowney’s discovery of the bone proves pivotal to the novel’s key plot developments. What does the bone represent? Does it change meaning throughout the novel? If so, how and why?

9.

In speaking with Jon, Cowney recognizes that they have different “backyards”—i.e., different cultures and experiences. What are some of the differences between them? What do their interactions reveal about the dynamic between white American and Indigenous cultures, both historically and in their own time?

10.

Consider the ending of the novel. What is the significance of Cowney’s storytelling and Essie’s return for burial? Why is the novel framed as an extended flashback, shared by Cowney as an elderly man?

blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
blurred text