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Chapter 1
Themes
and Colors
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Hunting by Stars, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Community and Identity
Resistance, Survival, and Hope
Dehumanization and Trauma
Language, Memory, and Legacy
Colonial Dominance vs. Healing with Nature
Summary
Analysis
The narrative shifts to a campfire surrounded by distressed people who have been searching for Frenchie. Bullet, a member of the resistance camp Frenchie’s group recently joined, says Frenchie simply disappeared from a nearby clearing. Miig, Frenchie’s longtime paternal figure, blames himself for being distracted by the return of his husband, Isaac, who he thought had died in the schools. A pregnant Wab paces while her partner Chi Boy tries to calm her. Rose—who is finally ready to be in a relationship with Frenchie—recalls with panic how a scout reported a Recruiter van nearby just before Frenchie went missing. She insists they need to act and blames everyone, including herself, for failing Frenchie.
Frenchie’s disappearance sends his community into an uproar, which indicates the high stakes of his capture. Miig and Rose, in particular, struggle with guilt, no doubt because of their close relationships with Frenchie. Rose also gives voice to a sense of communal guilt which speaks to each individual person’s responsibility to look out for everyone else in the group. Her desire to take action characterizes her as outspoken and loyal.
Active
Themes
Isaac says that, if Frenchie has been taken to a residential school, he should remain unharmed for some time. Derrick—a young member of the resistance—reports that Frenchie’s dad Jean (with whom Frenchie only recently reunited) is resting after a night of searching. Frustrated with inaction, Rose makes for the road. Derrick follows and urges her to calm down before she gets caught “or worse.” At this, Rose remembers their Elder Minerva, whose language (Anishinaabemowin) managed to burn a school to the ground before she was killed. Rose cries into Derrick’s shoulder. With some guilt, Derrick, who is attracted to Rose, wonders if Frenchie’s disappearance could be an opportunity for him to make a life that isn’t just about survival.
Since Isaac spent many years in a residential school, his reassurance carries some weight. That Frenchie has disappeared so soon after reuniting with his biological father is particularly painful. Rose’s urgency is evidence of her strong feelings for Frenchie, but remembering how they were unable to save Minerva also has a sobering effect. That Minerva was able to best her captors using Anishinaabemowin emphasizes the power of language to change outcomes and suggests Indigenous people may have some hope of surviving their current predicament. Derrick struggles to suppress his ulterior motives for helping with Frenchie’s search.
Active
Themes
Back at the fire, Chi Boy leads Wab back to their shared tent, urging her to rest. Exhausted by pregnancy, Wab agrees to one hour of rest before returning to the search. Bullet feels responsible for Frenchie’s disappearance, having looked after everyone in the resistance camp for many years. Still mourning the loss of Minerva, a rare carrier of the Indigenous language, Bullet feels overwhelmed by loss. By the fire, Miig remembers how Frenchie brought him news of Isaac’s survival only yesterday, making him hopeful for more miraculous reunions. Still, he struggles with despair even as he holds Isaac close, thinking of their love as an act of resistance. They sleep a few hours before rejoining the search.
Active
Themes
