Roof walker
Characters:
Narrator- is an unnamed girl born from a family of full-blood Indians, but she is born with surprisingly red hair. She tells a story of his family and her close grandmother (Grandma Mabel), who he seems to be very close to but also explains part of the story as if she speaks for her parents and grandmother too.
Grandma Mabel- this is an old lady who wears shapeless cotton dresses and bowling sneakers, she loves telling stories a lot and is the narrator’s grandmother.
Billy and Grover- these two are the narrator’s little brothers who are very energetic and mischievous.
Mother and father of the narrator- the father is not mostly in the story, but she talks about him and how he left them as kids. The mother, on the other hand, is known to choose her words wisely but often throws words at her father from time to time. She seems not to be happy with her husband’s job.
Setting:
Between uptown areas of Chicago blocks away from the Indian center on Wilson Avenue and the Standing Rock Reservation in North Dakota, where her grandma lives. Probably in the late 1950s or early 1960s.
Plot:
A young woman narrates a story about how she and her grandmother are close and share stories. She recalls how her grandmother was surprised by her hair at birth and how she knew her through pictures. She also talks about her mischievous little brothers, her parent’s arguments and recalls how she finds out her father was dating a younger woman and eloped with her when she and her brothers were still very young. The story ends with her still expecting her dad back.
Possible Themes:
Ratio tension between Indians and Vikings. Close relationships between mothers and their daughters and grandmothers and their granddaughters. Infidelity in marriages and their effects on children.