Native American:
Michael Dorris
The Window
Sees Behind Trees
Asian American
Hispanic American
Native American
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Characters
Rayona is a ten year old girl who acts very mature for her age. This maturity stems from the fact that she has had to fend for herself most of her life due to her mother's alcoholism. She comes in contact with a lot of discrimination because of her biracial heritage, which also contributes to her maturity.
Rayona's mother is not a very responsible mother. She is an alcoholic and leaves her daughter alone for days, but when she does come home Rayona enjoys her company very much.
Elgin is Rayona's father. He is not involved in Rayona's life very much until he realizes that she is in fairly deep trouble. He tries to look out for Rayona until it interferes too much with his own life.
Summary
Rayona is a young girl living in Seattle, Washington. Her father is African-American and her mother is Native American. Rayona's mother (whom she lives with) has frequent problems with alcohol and does not come home some nights. When Rayona's mother does not come home for three days, Rayona's father comes to the house and decides to take her to a social worker. The social worker agrees to place Rayona in a temporary home without going through the courts. Rayona first is taken to a white family and leaves the next day because they treat her too nicely. Next, she is placed with a retired black school teacher. Rayona really enjoys this, but soon has to leave her. Rayona's father finally decides to bring Rayona to live with his mother and two other relatives, whom Rayona has never met. To her surprise, the relatives are white. Rayona's father has always been very secretive about his family, perhaps because they are white. Rayona has a great time with her family for a little while until she is allowd to return to her mother, who has gone to an alcohol treatment center and is now sober. Rayona learns a lot about the nature of other people and the struggles of life through the events in this book.
General Critique
This story talks about a very real issue. Biracial kids, especially in the US, face many problems, such as racial intolerance, coming from more than one culture. Also, Rayona's experience with foster care is a very real issue for many kids. The story is dramatic and ironic in the sense that Rayona's family is so unique. The reader is never told the dad's big secret, which is frustrating.
Style/Literary Technique
The story is written in present tense and first person. Also, it is a children's story and is written very simply.
Symbols
1. The Potters signify the All-American dream and perfection.
2. The window is a symbol for both freedom and how we see our world.
Themes
1. It is important to know when keeping secrets is appropriate and beneficial and when it is not.
2. Discovering personal indentity is an integral part of growing up.
3. The importance of family is stressed in this book.
Thought Questions
1. Has there been a time when you had to choose between family and another obligation?
2. Why do you think that Rayona's father wanted to keep his heritage a secret?
3. Why do you think that Rayona liked to stay with her grandmother and aunt so much?
Was it because of their color? Was it because they are family?
4. What is "the window?"
5. Have you ever felt uncomfortable around people whose lifestyle is much different from your own?
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