Theme of Women in The Break by Katherena Vermette Essay Example

American Writer, Anna White, says:  “I felt like I was being carried over the threshold of a sisterhood of loss. I knew I was not walking alone, and that eventually I would bob back up to the surface of the deep, because the women around me showed me what healing looks like.” Katherena Vermette’s novel The Break takes place in a modernized society where indigenous women continue to be stripped of their power due to racist stereotypes surrounding the indigenous communities.The women in the break often feel they are powerless because of a preconceived assumption of helplessness, however they tend to regain their power in the strength of sisterhood. In particular the reader is able to see how Stella, Flora, and Emily, despite their personal struggles, win back their power.

Throughout the novel the reader watches Stella grow into a stronger woman with the help of her sisters. Stella feels powerless when she is unable to help Emily after watching the brutal assault take place outside her kitchen window. To illustrate, the author narrates “She knew the attackers had run off, but they could come back, and the woman was lying there bottom naked, maybe dead, maybe alive. Maybe she needed help. But Stella stood there, staring at the back door, unable to open it”(Vermette 172). This quote is significant as the reader can infer that Stella has hesitations about going outside to help the woman. Stella is afraid that the attackers might come back, and she did not want to endanger herself or her children. It is clear that Stella feels completely useless in this situation and will later regret not doing anything as she finds out Emily was the half naked woman laying in snow in her backyard. In contrast, Stella reclaims her power with the help of Aunty Cher’s comfort and reassurance. For example, the author narrates: “Stella just cries now and her aunt pulls her close. Cher smells like her mom- cigarettes and clean hair...Her Aunt whispers, ‘It’s okay, Stella. You did the best you could, Stelly. You did the best you could’”(Vermette, 268). This quote reveals that Stella is deeply loved by Cher and even though Stella wasn’t able to help Emily, Cher forgives her. Forgiveness is the first step in healing, and it is evident that Stella needs to heal from what happened and she needs to forgive herself. The comfort from Aunty Cher ultimately helps Stella stop blaming herself for what happened, which is important for Stella to become a stronger, less vulnerable woman. After feeling useless following Emily’s brutal attack, Stella is able to find peace with herself after getting reassurance from her role model Aunty Cher.

Emily finds her inner power within the strong female role models around her. To begin, Emily feels powerless when she is unable to defend herself in her attack. She conclusively gives up on herself. “Emily felt cold hands on her bare skin, felt her jeans rip open. She didn’t understand what was happening, but kicked out, kept moving her legs, but she got pinned again” (Vermette, 308). This quote is significant as it shows that no matter how hard Emily tried to fight, she kept getting pinned down. This made her feel powerless which caused her to give up. In the end Emily felt embarrassed and vulnerable. This incident is similar to events that happen with the MMIWG. Fortunately for Emily her sexaul assault case didn’t go unnoticed. Her assaulter was put in jail, whereas for many other girls, they are left untreated and unnoticed. This is important because if Emily’s assaulter wasn’t put behind bars she would still feel powerless and fearful. Contrary to how Emily is now able to regain her power surrounded by her strong female role models after finding out Phoenix has been locked up. For instance, Louisa explains: “She’s in custody now, this ringleader, and they think she’ll plead guilty”(Vermette 346). This quote is significant as it shows the reader that Phoenix has been found guilty of her crime. This is reassuring to Emily as she will no longer have to fear Phoenix attacking her again. To add, it’s important to mention that since Phoenix has now been stripped of her power it ultimately helps Emily regain hers. Now that Emily is safe and on her path to recovery it is important that she is surrounded by her strong female role models in order to properly heal. After Emily’s hard couple of weeks she is able to enjoy a sweat with those who love her and she is able to purge all of the negative energy she feels within her. To summarize, Emily is able to regain her power after being helpless for so long, with the help of the strong females around her. 

As the reader dives deeper into Flora’s story they realize that after her power was taken from her by her husband, she is later able to reclaim her power. To start, Flora’s husband was abusive towards her. Over time this caused Flora to feel powerless. For instance, Flora reflects to herself: “Whenever I dream of Charlie I wake up in a sweat cold, chilled like I am afraid. My hands clench up like I am ready to fight… I remember I am safe from Charlie, no more Charlie, Charlie long gone and long dead”(Vermette 329). This quote reveals that Flora truly feared Charlie. It is proven that Domestic Violence impacts the brain and behavior. It causes trauma for the victim, and she (or he) may experience symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, including hyperarousal, re-experiencing, avoidance and numbing. It is evident that Flora is still experiencing PTSD to some extent which shows how badly Charlie hurt her, both emotionally and physically. Contrilarily, Flora is able to reclaim her power by leaving Charlie with the strong influence of her girls. To elaborate, Flora converses with Louisa: “I still love Charlie sometimes...I am glad I left him though. He needed leaving”(Vermette 328). This quote is significant as it shows how Flora was able to build up the courage to leave Charlie. It is also possible that Flora had her children’s best interest at heart as she didn’t want Charlie to hurt them too. After she left Charlie her girls were there to support her as she navigates through being a single mother in a stereotypical society. Flora was ultimately able to reclaim her power with the influence of her sweet girls. 

The women in the break are often stripped of their power due to racist stereotypes surrounding the indigenous communities. Nevertheless, these ambitious women are able to regain their power by virtue of their strong sisterhood bond. Stella was able to regain her power with the reassurance from her aunt Cher, Flora was able to reclaim her power with the influence of her girls’ safety, and finally Emily was able to recover her power with the help of her family. A Sisterhood can create strong connections that last forever, whilst also bringing a sense of belonging to people who might feel isolated and alone. Do you feel you are a part of a sisterhood?