Empire of Wild

“For girls, he was the creature who kept you off the road or made you walk in packs.”

This quotation explains how the legend of the rogarou was used to frighten young girls in Métis culture. According to the myth of the rogarou, he preys on women and girls walking alone at night. In many cultures, folklore is used to pass down lessons in order to keep communities stable and safe. The legend of the rogarou has particular significance given the reality that in both Canada and the United States, Indigenous women are disproportionately affected by violence and more likely to be murdered or go missing. The rogarou legend uses traditional mythology to respond to a terrible reality facing modern Indigenous women.

“Sometimes we have to do what we have to do, even if that means working in the mines. What are we supposed to do? Stay poor? Would that prove to you that we’re Indian enough?”

Flo, Joan’s mother, speaks this quotation to Joan’s grandmother, Mere, when she criticizes Junior’s plan to look for a job with a local mining company. Junior understands that working in this industry is exploitative to the environment and does not align with traditional Indigenous values but argues that sometimes economic circumstances justify compromises. Flo’s point of view shows that the Indigenous experience is not monolithic and that individuals are sometimes torn between different values and goals, including the tensions surrounding Exploitation Versus Respect for Land.

“Thank god she had the courtesy to show up half-cut. Made it easier to shake her loose. Way to live a stereotype, lady.”

Heiser thinks this quotation as he reflects on a factor that made it easier for him to get rid of Joan when she first began claiming that the Reverend Wolf was actually her husband Victor. Joan had been drinking alcohol the night before, so Heiser was able to suggest that she must be drunk and confused; this implication deflects any possibility that Joan could be right about Victor’s identity. There is a negative stereotype of Indigenous people consuming excessive amounts of alcohol, so Heiser exploits this stereotype to protect his own interests.

“Being attacked by a rogarou, mistreating women, betraying your people…that’s the ones we know around here, anyways.”

Ajean speaks this quotation to Joan when Joan asks how a man becomes a rogarou. The causes for becoming a rogarou fuse some common element of the myths around supernatural creatures with factors that reveal the purpose of the myth. Many stories about supernatural creatures, such as werewolves and vampires, suggest that individuals can transform into monsters if bitten by one. According to the mythology of the rogarou, a man can also become a rogarou as a kind of punishment, and this shows how the rogarou, while a sinister figure, also serves to foster social cohesion.

“Walking there in summer was to be surrounded by the tiny flutter and flicks of insects that fed the birds, who in turn sang into the soft down of their nests. The place reminded her who she was.”

This quotation occurs as Joan reflects on her feelings about the undeveloped land she inherited from her father. Joan finds deep peace in the quiet natural setting, and the place nurtures her sense of connection to both the environment and her Indigenous identity. The quotation shows that Joan’s attachment to the land is not merely sentimental and sets the stage for why Victor’s suggestion to sell the land is so hurtful and disruptive to their relationship. It also represents another aspect of the Exploitation Versus Respect for the Land theme.

“Sometimes we forget what’s real. For him, he sees a different way of being secure, I suppose […] It’s not bad, just not right.”

Ajean speaks this quotation as she muses on why Victor might have wanted to sell Joan’s land. Ajean shows empathy for Victor and is not judgmental of him, but she is also very firm in her conviction. She has no doubt that it is wrong to sell land for profit. Ajean’s comment on being secure also shows her wisdom and perspective that financial gain is only a false illusion of security, whereas staying true to one’s identity and values is the only thing that can bring true security.

“It was exciting, after a year of mourning and regret, to be beautiful in panties and red lipstick.”

This quotation occurs as Joan carefully prepares her appearance in anticipation of seeing Victor. At this point, Joan is fairly confident that she can win Victor back, and she believes that arousing him sexually is key to doing so. Joan cultivates a seductive appearance both so that she can win Victor back and because she is looking forward to their reunion. The quotation shows that Joan enjoys her femininity and sexuality and that she does not see anything wrong or shameful about these aspects of her identity. This open and accepting view of sexuality contrasts with the rigid and hypocritical view of sexuality that is represented at the ministry.

“That wrong worship, that pagan way of life, is exactly what laid me to waste—what has led our people, our good people, to waste. And because of it, we fell into a time of degradation and great poverty.”

Victor speaks this quotation while he is preaching a sermon and Joan and Zeus are watching. During his sermon, Victor addresses the many Indigenous people who are listening to the sermon, encouraging them to reject traditional Indigenous spiritual beliefs in favor of evangelical Christianity. He claims that rejection of Christianity is what has led Indigenous people to be oppressed; however, many Christian beliefs and institutions (such as residential schools) are what led to Indigenous people experiencing systematic oppression, poverty, and intergenerational trauma in the first place. Victor’s argument is particularly insidious because it preys on vulnerability in order to attempt to convert Indigenous peoples to a religion that has historically exploited them, reflecting the Damaging Effects of Religious Indoctrination.

“No, that’s the problem, them—no connections, no living in their old stories.”

Ajean speaks this quotation when she wonders if individuals of European background might know additional information about how to deal with rogarous or similar creatures from their own folklore. She quickly responds to her own question, surmising that individuals of European descent (“them”) are disconnected from their history and traditions. Ajean criticizes a tendency to focus on the present and the future and to cut ties with cultural traditions. For her, these practices are essential, and it is foolish to see them as dispensable. Her attitude ties into the thematic idea of Identity Through Community and Connection in staying close to one’s traditions and roots.

“And each night the creature came, sniffed its way into his room and knocked at the door. On the eighth night, he let it in.”

This quotation describes how Heiser formed an alliance with his first rogarou. The rogarou was attracted to Heiser because of his identity and lineage as a Wolfsegner, and he decided to lure it. The quotation aligns with the mythology of other supernatural creatures, such as vampires, since it seems the rogarou can only enter with Heiser’s consent. The quotation shows that Heiser willingly struck a deal with the sinister figure because he believed he could benefit from it. It also shows the apparent dynamic in which Heiser has control over the rogarous; however, this dynamic will later be undermined.

“It made her feel powerful and vulnerable at the same time. She thought maybe this is what it felt like to be a parent, and she wasn’t sure she liked it.”

This quotation occurs when Joan reflects on bringing Zeus with her on her quest to save Victor and potentially placing him in precarious situations. Throughout the novel, Joan takes on a pseudo-maternal role with Zeus, especially since he has a strained relationship with his own parents. Joan’s relationship with Zeus is another way in which she is connected to her community: She is not just the recipient of traditions but also someone who will pass them down to the next generation. The quotation also foreshadows how Zeus will eventually be impacted by Joan’s quest to save Victor. While Zeus helps Joan in her quest, he also renders himself more vulnerable.

“She scrambled to her feet on the rock, opened up her arms and was baptized anew. Purposed. Bigger than ever before. Maybe just big enough.”

This quotation describes Cecile’s experience after she decides on a new plan for her future. Initially, Cecile hopes to begin a romantic relationship with Victor, but after he rejects her, she decides that she wants to overthrow him and become the lead preacher in the ministry herself. Cecile perceives this idea as part of a divine plan: In the quotation, she stands in the rain and perceives it as a kind of baptism, as evidence of God sanctioning her plan. The quotation is ironic because Cecile’s plan involves lying, destroying property, and potentially causing the death of multiple people, and yet she is still able to tell herself that God is sanctioning and perhaps even inspiring her plan.

“She saw the Reverend Wolff then for what he was, leading the people like some kind of Anishinaabe pied piper.”

This quotation occurs after Joan realizes that the ministry, and Victor’s preaching, are part of a larger plan to render Indigenous people vulnerable to signing agreements that exploit them and their lands through the Damaging Effects of Religious Indoctrination. Joan refers to Victor as the Reverend Wolff, representing a rare moment when she calls him by his assumed identity. This reveals how distanced she feels from him and how she sees the man who is exploiting Indigenous people as distinct from her husband. Joan also compares Victor/the Reverend to the “pied piper,” a figure in European folklore who lured children away from their community. The comparison reveals how folklore plays an important role in both Indigenous and non-Indigenous cultures.

“Normally, I would slip right over you […] I ended up slipping under you instead.”

The rogarou speaks this quotation to Victor as he explains what happened when he took possession of Victor. Victor was possessed by the rogarou as punishment for being arrogant toward Joan. However, something went awry during the process, trapping Victor in the liminal space of the woods. While his physical form is moving through the world, preaching and acting as the Reverend Wolff, Victor’s true self is trapped somewhere in a liminal space. The rogarou’s comment provides some explanation for the setup of the plot but also leaves space for mystery, avoiding a need to fully explain or obey purely rational explanations.

“She moved toward Him, toward the light, the bright, glorious light. And found that it was just flame, abundant and eternal, after all.”

This quotation occurs as Cecile burns to death after the gasoline can explodes. As a fervent Christian, Cecile embraces her death, believing that she will be transported to heaven and meet God. However, the quotation hints that Cecile encounters the tragic reality that she is not achieving salvation, only a horrifyingly painful death. The presence of the burning flames also alludes to a traditional depiction of hell, hinting that not only will Cecile not be “saved” in the way that she was expecting, but she also might even encounter punishment for her many cruel and violent actions.

“Whatever you did that brought you into my arms. That’s where you are. And this is where I’ll bury you.”

The rogarou speaks this quotation to Victor when Victor asks where he is trapped. The rogarou does not clarify whether the place is some sort of magical dimension or a world within Victor’s own mind. He does, however, allude to the origin of the physical form that the space takes. The woods where Victor is trapped are a mirror of the wooded land that Joan inherited, and which Victor suggested they sell. He is trapped in the woods because he failed to respect this space and what it meant to Joan, reflecting Exploitation Versus Respect for the Land. The quotation also shows that the rogarou believes Victor is never going to be restored to his true self and will remain possessed by the rogarou forever.

“He uttered a growl full of menace and fear, like a trapped animal. Because that’s exactly what he was.”

This quotation reveals the moment where Joan finally realizes that Victor is a rogarou. While the fire rages in the lodge, Joan wonders why Victor is behaving erratically until she discovers that he is avoiding the bone salt she has scattered. While the quotation refers to Victor as an animal, it also refers to him as trapped. At this moment, he is literally trapped by the bone salt but also more symbolically trapped by the rogarou that has possessed him and the power that Heiser wields. Joan is horrified to realize that Victor is a rogarou, but she also recognizes that her husband has been taken against his will.

“‘I think I know him,’ he said, confused.”

Victor speaks this quotation to Joan as his true identity comes closer to surfacing. Victor mentions that he likes Jeeps, and Joan slyly states that her husband does too. Victor’s response shows that Joan’s plan is working: His sense of identity is returning, and he is starting to feel connected to himself again. However, the quotation shows that Victor does not yet fully remember who he is and cannot reason out what the connection is. Nevertheless, he has tentatively begun re-experiencing his Identity Through Community and Connection.

“A newly minted rogarou is like a big puppy, very hard to control. Sometimes they try to go home.”

Heiser speaks this quotation to Joan, explaining how Victor was the one who killed Joan’s grandmother. The quotation is ironic because it compares Victor to a puppy, which can act recklessly but still playfully. However, Victor’s actions were not innocent at all: He tore an elderly woman to pieces. The quotation is cruel because Heiser implies that Victor only encountered Joan’s grandmother because he went in search of Joan. It also sets the stage for events at the end of the novel, where Zeus also heads in the direction of home, posing a new threat.

“Remind him that he is a man under it all. You can do it by making the thing bleed.”

This quotation occurs in Joan’s final conflict with Victor, shortly before she slashes and stabs him. Joan thinks back to a piece of advice that Ajean shared with her earlier when they were discussing ways to defeat the rogarou. Ajean had recommended that causing the rogarou to bleed would invoke his human, mortal side, loosening the hold of the supernatural force. Joan only utilizes this strategy late in the plot because she hates the thought of physically hurting Victor, but she also knows that at this point, she has no other choice.

“I’ve come to learn that if you can control the darkest part of a community, you hold the key to the entire thing.”

Heiser speaks this quotation to Joan as he explains why it benefitted him to harness the power of the rogarou and use it to manipulate Indigenous communities. He refers to the rogarou as the “darkest part” of the community but seems to misunderstand the role of the rogarou in also safeguarding and strengthening Indigenous communities. The quotation reveals Heiser’s arrogance and mistaken belief in his own power.

“And with graceful jumps and extravagant reels, the rogarou jigged out of the light, down one sight of the ditch and up the other, and leapt into the woods.”

This quotation describes how Robe, the other rogarou, departs from the scene of the car crash while Victor and Joan look on. The description of the rogarou here is not sinister or predatory, but rather light and playful. This description shifts the depiction of the rogarou away from that of a predatory monster and to something closer to a trickster figure: a presence that is disruptive but not necessarily always malevolent. The quotation hints that, without the presence of Heiser and his greed, the rogarou is not necessarily a force of evil.

“He knew he’d been taken because he hated his mother. He tried to explain it—the hows and whys of the feeling—but there was no mercy to be had.”

This quotation occurs after Zeus finds himself (like Victor) trapped in a wooded space—he has been possessed by a rogarou. The quotation reveals that Zeus knows why he has been possessed: He failed to show respect and empathy to a woman, which aligns with the patterns of behavior displayed by Victor and Robe before they were transformed. The quotation adds nuance to the idea of the rogarou because Zeus’s feelings toward his mother are largely outside of his control and not intentionally harmful. This quotation shows that individuals can become rogarous even without deliberately acting in a harmful way.