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And so what we could do had everything to do with being able to understand where we came from, what happened to our people, and how to honor them by living right, by telling our stories.
The Native American community faces many problems, from high levels of alcoholism, suicide, and poverty to the loss of their languages and cultures. Opal explains that one of the most important things they can do to better their circumstances is to tell the true stories of their people and experiences, to shift the predominant narrative about Native Americans from one created by white people and the U.S. government to one created by Natives. Characters such as Opal, Dene, and Tony understand that stories have the power to change reality.
Opal doesn’t step on cracks when she walks. She walks carefully because she’s always had the sense that there are holes everywhere, cracks you can slip between – the world, after all, is porous.
Opal follows several superstitious rituals because they give her a sense of control over her life. Although this sense of control is illusory, it is a necessary illusion that keeps Opal from sliding into depression and passivity. By purposefully not stepping on literal cracks, Opal has determined that her life won’t fall into the metaphorical cracks of alcoholism, drug abuse, or poverty. She sees how easy it is for people to disappear into these voids, and by playing a mental game with herself, she makes sure she doesn’t fall through the gaps and disappear.
So she bore those years, their weight, and the years bored a hole through the middle of her, where she tried to keep believing there was some reason to keep her love intact.
Life for Opal is painful and difficult. She has suffered through many traumas, from the death of her mother and her sister’s complicated pregnancy to the suicide of her niece and her sister’s alcoholism. She has taken on the responsibility of caring for Jacquie’s three grandchildren because Jacquie cannot do so herself. Opal works long hours to provide for her family, and she’s exhausted, both physically and emotionally. Keeping ahold of love and hope is a constant struggle, as life does its best to break her.
