guerilla notes

Craig, Womack. Drowning In Fire. Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 2001. Print. Pages 1-98 (Set 1)
Key Words
Point Form Notes
Analysis
Protagonist

Josh Henneha

Jimmy Alexander

Aunt Lucille

Themes

Escape

Evils of Racism

Hazards of Passing Judgment

Quest for Discovery

Conflict

One vs Circumstances

Very skinny, shy kid living in Rural
Oklahoma.
Part of the Muskogee Creek nation
Often gets bullied and teased
Homosexual, has strong feelings towards his friend Jimmy
Ashamed of his feelings towards other boys.

Josh’s good friend, amazing athlete, very talented in Basketball.

Lives a life of poverty in the outskirt areas in Oklahoma

Often defends Josh, and tries to include him in activities.

“Jimmy took a lot of shit for sometimes putting up with Josh… Occasionally, Jimmy would convince the boys to let Josh throw in with them”. (Womack, Page 14)

Josh’s aunt, often tells him stories to calm him down and bond.
Very insightful, sees the positive side in everything.

Josh escapes from family pressure, often from others bullying him.

Josh and several other natives In his school often get picked on because of heritage.

“ Not only did Josh never get picked for Team Captain, since he was Indian, but he got chosen just after the last boy was picked and before the first girl” (Womack, Page 14).

Josh wants to prove himself to Jimmy, get him to “notice him”
Decides to show off when the boys are diving
Nearly drowns and kills himself.

Josh often asks his Aunt and grandfather to tell him stories of the past, learning more and more about to culture and not forgetting his roots.

After Jimmy rescuing Josh, and the night of the sleepover, Josh constantly thinks he is falling in love.
He is insecure and afraid of what others will think of him.
Does not tell anybody.

The character in this fiction novel is similar to other characters in the past. Starting off quiet and shy, and slowly gaining confidence and power. Josh is a very insecure character during the first section, but slowly discovers his traits and skills that make him who he is.

A great friend, The author’s intention in creating Jimmy was to create the foundation of love in the story. As Jimmy defends Josh and always encourages him to join in, it slowly builds a strong friendship and increases their desires for each other.

Very humble and outspoken, Aunt Lucille helps Josh discover his roots and gives him advice in the time of need. She reminds me of my Aunt personally, because of her positive attitude and stories told.

The message the author is trying to give is the hardships and constant load of stress Josh has to deal with. This gets the reader more attached to the book and a little insight of what many Homosexuals feel in real life.

Josh is constantly getting bullied by all his peers and even teachers, I feel very bad for him as I was reading this section. The author did a really good job in portraying not just his struggles but the struggles of many Native tribes living here in Canada.

The author’s intention in this scene in the book was to show how far Josh would go to show his love and loyalty to Jimmy. Even though he is not a strong swimmer, he truly wants Jimmy to see him as an equal compared to the rest of the boys.

A significant part of the story, he is lifted by her stories and is able to even relive his people’s history within his dreams.

The Author uses common stereotypes to portray this conflict, the stereotypes and prejudice towards Homosexuals.