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Chapter 21
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Moon of the Crusted Snow, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Technology, Society, and Survival
Colonialism, Oppression, and Trauma
Selfishness vs. Selflessness
Gender, Power, and Wisdom
Summary
Analysis
Evan rummages through a closet and pulls out a worn military blazer. Aileen sits by her stove, calmly sipping tea, and thanks Evan for coming by to check on her. Speaking in Anishinaabemowin, she softly asks Evan how he’s doing; Evan can’t remember the last time someone asked him that. He explains that the family is stressed and cooped up at home, but they’re doing alright. Aileen comforts him and tells him to take care of Nicole. Aileen wants to pass on her medicinal knowledge, so she’s teaching it to Nicole. Evan quietly agrees to take Nicole for a walk tomorrow.
Having established Scott as the antagonist of the story, Rice now establishes Aileen as Scott’s opposite. While Scott is a physically imposing, aggressive young man who ignores the advice of others, Aileen is a frail, old, stoic woman. However, she’s wise from her decades of life experience, as well as her indigenous spiritual and medicinal knowledge—which she’s passing on to other women in the community, like Nicole. Aileen encourages Evan to respect and nurture Nicole, believing that Nicole’s leadership will prove essential to the community’s survival.
Themes
Aileen says that when people come by, they say the word “apocalypse,” which she thinks it’s a silly word. She explains that the world isn’t ending—it already ended when the Anishinaabe people were displaced from the south. But they adapted and learned to live in the harsh northern territory. Aileen explains that she’s lived through many apocalypses—one happens each time white people come to their community. But the Anishinaabe are still here, and they’ll still be here even if the power never comes back on. Evan smiles, feeling hopeful for the first time in days.
The story’s apocalyptic scenario is a metaphor for the struggles that First Nations people experienced under colonialist oppression, which similarly made them feel like their world was ending. Aileen draws on her wisdom to reassure Evan, knowing that the Anishinaabe survived before, and they will again. Whereas Aileen nurtures and reassures others using her stoic wisdom, Scott intimidates and scares others using his aggression.
Themes
Evan heads out into the snow, which has been falling for days, and waves goodbye to Aileen. Two weeks ago, the diesel ran out, so Evan does his rounds on foot. Terry’s leadership has dissolved by now, and most people look to Walter for guidance. Walter, in turn, looks to Evan, Isaiah, and Tyler. Others have taken up alliances under Scott, which makes Evan uneasy. The snow is crusted over, and it breaks to reveal soft powder underneath. Evan tries to remember the word for this time of year, and he says “the moon of the crusted snow” out loud as it comes back to him. He doesn’t know which month it is—either February or March. It doesn’t really matter: the freeze is unrelenting, and blizzards keep blowing in.
The community is now divided: one faction is living under Scott’s toxic authority, while the rest of the community looks to Evan—who, in turn, takes guidance from Aileen. As the story continues, Scott will likely subjugate his followers, while Aileen will nurture hers as she does Evan. This implies that it’s better to trust in the wisest people, regardless of their gender or physical ability. This passage also explains the story’s title, which is an Anishinaabe term for the current time of year that describes the landscape. This again emphasizes their culture’s deep connection with the land.
Themes
Evan marks the passage of time with deaths in the community—the death toll has been rising steadily. Evan trudges up to the community building and opens the garage door, ignoring the rows of bodies piled up inside. Isaiah and Tyler approach, pulling a sled with a dead body on it and talking about who would have won the hockey championship this year. Tyler wonders if people are playing hockey somewhere down south. Despite his optimism, he doubts it. They heave Johnny’s frozen body on to the pile—that makes 21 deaths so far. Some youths killed themselves, though most of the deaths have been among the elders.
The winter is harsh and devastating, as evidence by the rising death toll. The imagery of Evan in the garage, surrounded by piles of dead bodies, mirrors his earlier dream. Like the students in Gibson, who grew dejected and suicidal without technology, several young people on the reserve took their own lives as well. This implies that the increased presence of technology in young people’s lives is a threat, because it weakens their emotional resilience.
Themes
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