The Death of Bernadette Lefthand: Analysis of Major Characters
"The Death of Bernadette Lefthand" is a poignant narrative that delves into the complexities of identity, relationships, and tragedy within the context of the Jicarilla Apache and Navajo communities. Central to the story is Bernadette Lefthand, a talented young woman celebrated for her prowess as a fancy dancer, who tragically becomes a victim of violence following a ceremonial event. The narrative unfolds through the perspective of her sister, Gracie, who grapples with her own feelings of inadequacy while navigating the aftermath of Bernadette's death.
The characters surrounding Bernadette highlight varying responses to cultural and personal struggles. Anderson George, Bernadette's husband, faces a downward spiral due to alcoholism, leading to a series of tragic events that culminate in her brutal murder. The story also introduces Starr Stubbs, a well-meaning Anglo employer who attempts to support Bernadette but ultimately exemplifies the limitations of outside understanding of Indigenous experiences. Emmett Take Horse, a former jockey harboring resentment toward Bernadette and Anderson, becomes a pivotal figure in the tragedy, embodying the destructive consequences of unresolved pain and jealousy.
Together, these characters create a rich tapestry that explores themes of love, loss, and the impact of cultural dislocation, making it a compelling study of human emotions and societal dynamics within Native American life.
The Death of Bernadette Lefthand: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Ronald B. Querry
First published: 1993
Genre: Novel
Locale: New Mexico and Arizona
Plot: Suspense
Time: The 1990's
Bernadette Lefthand, a beautiful and talented young woman. She is a resident of Dulce, New Mexico, the center of the Jicarilla Apache reservation. The daughter of a Jicarilla father and a Tiwa mother from Taos Pueblo, as a teenager Bernadette was a champion fancy-dancer at Indian powwows. She went to the Indian School in Santa Fe, where she fell in love with a Navajo rodeo rider named Anderson George. In her late teens, she married Anderson and bore a son named Anthony. She works for an Anglo woman named Starr Stubbs as a means of supporting her husband. Bernadette's brutal murder is reported in the first pages of the novel; the story of what led to her death takes up the rest of the novel. She was killed after a ceremonial dance at which she was honored for her achievements as a dancer; the dance was disrupted by her drunken husband and his friends.
Gracie Lefthand, Bernadette's less attractive sister, the narrator of much of the novel. She is content to live in her sister's shadow, taking care of the baby when necessary and going along with Bernadette, Anderson, and Anderson's brother Tom to rodeos and festivals on the Navajo and Hopi reservations when they are all young.
Anderson George, a Navajo rodeo rider whose skills diminish as he gets older and becomes more devoted to liquor. He works for a while looking after Starr Stubbs's horses, but he is unreliable. When Bernadette is brutally murdered, all the evidence points to Anderson, and he is arrested. Convinced that he must have killed her in a drunken rage, he hangs himself in a jail cell.
Tom George, Anderson's quiet and sober younger brother. He helps Anderson in his rodeo contests and looks after Gracie when the four young people go on trips, but he is not Gracie's lover. He tries but fails to convince Anderson to moderate his drinking.
Starr Stubbs, a white woman who befriends Bernadette Lefthand and gives her employment as a kind of housekeeper. Starr lives on a large ranch near Dulce that her country singer husband bought as a retreat from the demands of his career. Starr also hires Anderson, trying to help Bernadette save her marriage by restoring some of Anderson's pride. Starr has read many books on American Indians and is genuinely sympathetic to Bernadette, but she represents well-meaning white people who cannot truly understand Indians. She shows her ignorance by laughing at Bernadette's belief in shamanistic healing and by trying to arrange for Anderson to be cured by a white doctor.
Emmett Take Horse, an embittered Navajo who knew Bernadette and Anderson at the Indian School. At one time a successful jockey in the informal horse races staged at Navajo festivals, Emmett suffered seriously crippling injuries in a racing accident. He develops a strong hatred for Bernadette, whom he has loved, and for Anderson. He takes lessons from a Navajo witch, despite his fear of the evil he is learning, and pretends friendship for Anderson while encouraging him in his increasingly destructive drinking. He hacks Bernadette to death and arranges matters so that Anderson appears to be the guilty party.