The Painted Drum Summary

Erdrich's novel The Painted Drum recounts the tale of a tribal drum and its arrival to the reservation. Through out the novel, the drum unites the main characters. On the night of the drum's arrival, the characters recount the tale of the drum's creation. Their display unites the gathering as a tribe and serves to adjust their individual characters into tribal personalities. Tribalism plays an important role in Native American personality, and Erdrich's novel underlines the significance on tribal identities inside of Native American groups. In The Painted Drum, the drum ties into the idea of tribalism. The drum serves as a symbolic representation of her characters, and it turns into a character and dynamic member in the story.