Truth and Bright Water

Lum is a dynamic, tragic character whose arc at times serves as a foil for Tecumseh’s. Both Elvin and Franklin abuse their sons, but the physical abuse that Lum endures is far more drastic than Tecumseh’s and plays a much larger role in shaping his character. Franklin’s physical abuse affects Lum in a number of ways. Lum spends much less time at home than Tecumseh does and focuses his energy on pursuits that take him outside of the house, like running. Lum is also a much angrier character than Tecumseh, and he often externalizes his anger in the form of violence, Navigating Toxic Masculinity less successfully than Tecumseh. This anger surfaces both in Lum’s past (as seen in the flashback when Soldier needs to defend Tecumseh from Lum’s aggression) and in his present (as evidenced by the gun he often carries and mock-shoots himself with in Chapter 31).

Like Tecumseh, Lum yearns to connect with a past he doesn’t understand. In Lum’s case, this past comes in the form of a deceased mother he never knew well. At times, Lum seems to believe that the jumping woman might be his mother and that it’s possible his mother is still alive. Lum sometimes attempts to connect with history in strange, surprising ways. Several times throughout the novel, Tecumseh finds him stripped naked, painting himself with mud and other substances in a way that evokes old traditions. However, Lum is less connected than Tecumseh is with the day-to-day life of Bright Water, and as such he seems to be less connected to the physical truths and realities of the place.

Lum is thus never offered a pathway for making sense of his histories or for coping with the abuse he endures. His arc over the course of the novel is a tragic one, as his self-destructive impulses build toward the final, reckless run over the bridge that results in his death. Lum dies running—his favorite activity and the activity that his father’s abuse kept him from being able to enjoy. His suicide (or at least willing self-endangerment) in the final chapters is an act of rebellion, but it’s also an act that suggests Lum could see no place for himself in a society that alienated him from his past and tolerated his abuse.

Like many fictional canines, Soldier is the protagonist’s loyal sidekick who ultimately has a tragic arc. The boxer was a gift from Elvin and was initially unwanted by Tecumseh’s mother. Soldier earned his name after defending Tecumseh from Lum during one of Lum’s more aggressive spells.

Soldier’s actions drive much of the novel’s plot. He is a naturally curious and intuitive dog who often helps Tecumseh meet people (as in Chapter 18, when the dog leads him to Rebecca) or resolve crises (as in Chapter 30, when the dog locates the church). Soldier also acts as a sounding board for Tecumseh, allowing him to voice thoughts he wouldn’t voice to other characters and talk through problems that arise. Soldier’s assumed death at the end of the novel happens because the dog senses that Lum is in danger; this is in keeping with his nature as a loyal, protective character. The dog’s death also symbolically demarcates an end to Tecumseh’s childhood and the loss of that comforting presence that allowed Tecumseh to externally process his thoughts and feelings.