Warrior Girl Unearthed

Content Warning: This section discusses anti-Indigenous and anti-Black racism.

Interspersed through the novel are periodic dream allegories, or “cultural dreams,” as Shense calls them. An allegory is “a story that has a hidden moral or political message” (“Allegory.” SuperSummary); a dream allegory is an “allegorical tale presented in the narrative framework of a dream” (“dream allegory.” Encyclopedia Britannica). After Perry meets Warrior Girl, Warrior Girl starts appearing in her dreams. These dreams usually emphasize the similarities between Perry and Warrior Girl.

These allegories that parallel Perry and Warrior Girl have two meanings. First, they demonstrate the connection Perry feels to her ancestors. By the end of the novel, she realizes that she must enjoy her life because “Warrior Girl was willing to sacrifice herself for her community” (387) so that her descendants could live freely. Perry always carries the knowledge of this sacrifice with her. She recognizes the debt she owes to her ancestors for surviving so that she could live. Second, Web refers to Perry as “Ogichidaakwezans,” which means “Warrior Girl.” Not only does Perry carry the hopes and dreams and the memory of Warrior Girl with her, but she becomes a warrior girl herself.