The Loons by Margaret Laurence

1. The Loons by Margaret Laurence By: Cassandra, Ladane and Julian

2. Plot Summary The plot starts with Vanessa Macleod and her Fathers young Metis patient Piquette Tonnerre, who is suffering from tuberculosis of the bone. The father invites Piquette to join the family for their summer vacation at their cottage. While at the cottage Piquette is reluctant to open up to Vanessa, and keeps her distance. That winter Vanessa’s father dies suddenly from pneumonia, and she is lost in grief and does not notice the world around her. Piquette drops out of school again and leaves Manawaka. The story continues a few years later, after Vanessa and Piquette have lost touch. They reunite at the Regal café, and have another awkward conversation, yet this is the first time Vanessa truly sees Piquette as someone who is struggling to find her identity/place in the world. Piquette explains that she is engaged to be married, and while she seems excited, Vanessa can tell there is a lot riding on the marriage. Vanessa then goes to University and discovers upon her return that Piquette returned to Manawaka and died in a house fire, along with her young children. After learning about her death Vanessa returns to the lake, but does not return to her cottage because it is now inhabited by someone else. When she goes to the lake at night the loons are no longer there, and she reflects on the fact that perhaps Piquette was really more like the loons than the people around her.

3. Narration The narration is a first person limited narration from the perspective of Vanessa Macleod. The narrator gives good insights into her family and where she grew up, as well as her curiosity of Piquette. The text shows that Vanessa feels remorse about everyone’s lack of ability to help Piquette. It is hard to trust any narrator, especially Vanessa since Laurence describes this collection as a “fictionalized biography.” The story would have been completely different if it was told from Piquette’s perspective, and it would be near inexistent if it was told from the father’s due to his death. If it was told from an omniscient perspective, in which case the story would not provide as much insight into Vanessa’s feelings or opinion on Piquette, but might have included more of Piquette’s story, and how she viewed her life and those around her.

4. Character The main character is Piquette. At the start of the story she was 13 and struggling with tuberculosis of the bone, resulting in her frequent hospitalization and absence from school. Her family is unsupportive and she acknowledges that Vanessa’s father is the only one who really did anything to help her. She leaves Manawaka to try to find a place of belonging. Although she overcomes her physical illness she is unable to acclimatize to other locations and returns home. She faces both physical and psychological battles due to her illness and family history, which may have lead to her premature death. Two important secondary characters are Vanessa and her Father. Vanessa attempts to befriend Piquette because she is an alluring mystery, but when Piquette refuses to share her feelings or emotions Vanessa loses interest. Also, what we know about Piquette is through Vanessa’s point of view, making her a key character. Vanessa’s Father is also important since he is the only one that ever really tried to help Piquette. He is the reason that Piquette spends the summer at the cottage with Vanessa, and his quick death is just as shocking as Piquette’s sudden death.

5. Setting Settings: 1903s, Manawaka, the Tonnerre settlement, MacLeod cottage, the lake, Piquette’s house, the Regal Café The story is set in the 1930s in Manitoba, and the families cottage is located at Diamond lake, on the lakefront. There is a duality of the lake, during the day it is full of activity and at night it is calm and left to the loons. After the father’s death they renamed it Wapakata to bring in more tourists.

6. Topic and Theme Three themes: Old vsnew, Adaptation - Life vsdeath, Intolerance The importance of adaptation is clearly an important one, basically the difference between life and death. Being able to adapt to the changes occurring in Manawaka seems to be an issue for both the Metis, especially Piquette, as well as the loons. Both end up leaving the area, Piquette by her death, and the loons with leaving to find a new place of belonging or dying like Piquette.

7. Symbol • Loons – symbolize the Metis and the struggle to adapt and survive in new environments • Cottage – Symbolizes comfort, security, adventure • Piquette’s tuberculosis – a physical disability/deformity that sets her apart from everyone and holds her back educationally and emotionally • TheTonnere settlement – disorder, inability to improve/adapt

8. School/tradition • Regional – Depicts Manitoba • Post colonial – The Metis and the English • Written during post modernism but stylistically it is not written like it • Ecocriticism – Loons dying off • feminism, • issues in gender

9. Style/tone • The tone is less somber than what the text discusses. The writing does not go deep into anyone’s emotions or feelings, with a someone indifferent feel to most characters personalities.