Motorcycle and Sweetgrass is a charming novel written by Taylor Drew Hayden about the relevance of belief and balance and some form of magic in people’s life. The novel illustrates how individuals attempt to adapt to the modern lifestyle while still like their ancestors. The characters attempt to stay loyal to their native way of life. The novel has three major characters, John, Maggie, and Wayne, who develop in their attempt to achieve balance. John utilizes dance to hold onto his Ojibway traditions, Maggie feeds on Italian foods, and she needs support from people like John to assist her in believing in the traditions and beliefs of Ojibway, while Wayne uses martial arts while at the same time isolating himself within an island to ensure he lives like the ancestors. Therefore, throughout the novel, all the three characters are attempting to maintain their native roots while at the same time adapting to the current life hence illustrating balance.
John uses dance to maintain his Ojibway traditions, and he is also a perfect trickster throughout the novel. First, John uses dance, and he continuously plays childish games to maintain his traditions. For instance, in the novel, John attempts to assist Maggie and buries two big sandbags full of bones in the entire forest (Drew Hayden Taylor 313). This clearly illustrates that John still holds onto his youthful life even though the childish games may generate serious results on his medical wheel. Also, John is a perfect trickster who clarifies to Maggie that he wants to feel as good as he felt years back when he knew her grandmother. He states that he knew Maggie’s grandmother way before she was born, which was the last time he felt good. He wishes to feel the same with hopes that it runs through Maggie’s family (Drew Hayden Taylor 115). For this reason, John is very determined to impress Maggie that he goes ahead to steal a museum’s ancient bones and bury them afresh in a new piece of land. The two scenarios clearly illustrate how John wants to be associated with the past while at the same time fitting into modern life.
Wayne uses martial art, and he also isolates himself on the island. The application of martial arts is a special way Wayne connects to his ancestors and illustrates that he is proud of his culture. For instance, most characters disapprove of Wayne’s love for martial arts in the novel, and they find the whole idea silly. The sister states, “Wayne, it’s not that we don’t care; we care. It is just that it’s somewhat silly. A native martial art? You might as well be writing a native opera or something (Drew Hayden Taylor 238). Therefore, Wayne is not ashamed that he is still living a more traditional life than his sister in a world that is becoming less traditional. Also, Wayne goes further to isolate himself on the island. Wayne feels like no one believes in him, and he isolates himself on the island, which is considered stupid to maintain his traditional life (Drew Hayden Taylor 237). By being on the island by himself, Wayne can do whatever he cannot freely do on the island. Therefore, both his actions illustrate how he strongly believes in the Aboriginals.
Lastly, Maggie feeds on Italian foods, and she needs support from people like John to assist her in believing in the traditions and beliefs of Ojibway. Throughout the novel, Maggie expresses her love for Italian foods. She states, “I love Italian foods. In my opinion, it’s the best thing Columbus and Cabot brought over” (Drew Hayden Taylor 109). While the world is evolving and new foods are coming in, Maggie’s love for Italian dishes is unshakable, and she expects her man to love it as well. Also, Maggie needs support from people like John, tied to traditions. This is evident from the statement, “Then she noticed that John sitting beside her, was smiling. Not a supporting I am here for your kind of smile but more like I know something you don’t know (Drew Hayden Taylor 281). This illustrates that John knows more about their traditions, and having him by his side is an added advantage to achieving balance.
Conclusively, the actions of John, Wayne, and Maggie throughout the novel illustrate how they tried to maintain balance to ensure they were healthy. Through their capacities, the three characters are attempting to maintain their native roots while at the same time adapting to the current life hence illustrating balance. Because of everything that has happened in their past life, there is something special like food, martial arts, and dance which they are strongly attached with.
Works Cited
Drew Hayden Taylor. Motorcycles & Sweetgrass. Toronto, Ontario, Penguin Random House Canada, 2021.
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