Echoes of Violence: Trauma and Testimony in Louise Erdrich’s the Round House

"Echoes of Violence: Trauma and Testimony in Louise Erdrich’s the Round House”

Neethu Santhosh

The Round house by Louise Erdrich is a poignant and multifaceted coming of age novel which delves deeper into the lives of Ojibwe indigenous communities. This narrative is set in the backdrop of a serious crime which was committed in a sacred place in a Native American reservation called North Dakota. The novel unravels the complexities of trauma, seeking justice and the failure of the jurisdictionary system in protecting indigenous women. Through this narrative Erdrich attempted to represent a profound critique of systemic injustice and discrimination on indigenous communities by blending together personal and collective experiences of trauma and survival. The novel revolves around the brutal rape of a Native American woman named Geraldine Cuotts and it's traumatic consequences on her family. Erdrich explores the complexities of grappling with the legal system in the US through the representation of thirteen year old boy Joe Cuotts, who took initiative in investigating for the culprits and fought with legal authorities for seeking justice for his mother Geraldine. As the plot unfolds, serious issues such as discrimination, patriarchal violence and years of oppression and intergenerational trauma endured by indigenous communities since colonialism are depicted through certain incidents and characters.