The Arrow Over the Door

The Bibliography
Bruchac, Joseph. 1998. The Arrow Over the Door. Ill. by James Watling. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers. ISBN 0803720785

The Characters
The main characters in The Arrow Over the Door are Samuel Russell, a Quaker teenager, and Stands Straight, an Abenaki Indian. Other characters include Samuel's family, members of the group of Friends (Quakers) and members of the Abenaki tribe.

The Plot
Based on an actual meeting between the Quakers and Indians during the Revolutionary War, The Arrow Over the Door alternates being told by Samuel and Stands Straight. Samuel is a Quaker, but feels like a coward in the troublng times of war. The Friends choose to live a life of peace and do not see anyone as enemies. Stands Straight, on the other hand, sees all Americans as enemies because they killed his mother and brother. When his scouting party comes across a group of Friends during a Quaker Meeting, they find something that they never expected from a group of Americans... friends.

The Setting
Saratoga, New York in the year 1777

The Theme
"the way of peace ... can be walked by all human beings"

The Style
The Arrow Over the Door alternates between the viewpoints of two boys. Samuel, a Quaker, doesn't quite feel like a Quaker (and, in my opinion, he probably won't be a Quaker when he grows up... he just doesn't seem to like the whole peace thing...), and Stands Straight, an Abenaki Indian whose mother and brother were murdered by Americans. The language is appropriate for each characters' narration and the time period; Samuel's language is plain, and Stands Straight's language varies between Abanaki and French, the languages that he and his fellow tribe members speak.

The Analysis
I didn't feel moved by this story. Yes, it's lovely that there was no slaughter and that everyone found peace because of each other, but I just found it boring. Samuel often thinks things that oppose the viewpoints of the Friends, but never acts on them. Stands Straight and his fellow tribe members just walk around through the forest throughout their part of the story. There was no action. When the Abenaki arrive at the meeting of the Quakers, they just walk in and sit down. No excitement. Then they mark the door with a broken arrow, signifying that no harm should come to the Friends and then the story is over. The illustrations on the cover are the only in color, the rest are in black and white. They don't really add any excitement to the story, either, unfortunately.

The Cultural Markers
Illustrations: The black and white drawings show the Abenaki as tall and slender people with arrows and leather and feathers living in nature. They show the Friends as living within their means in plain and simple clothing. There is not much else to say about the illustrations.

Text: There is some interlingual text in the book. The Abenaki speak both French and their own language, which are both italicized. In Stands Straight's chapters, there are several descriptive, color words used to describe the Americans, like "white people" and "brown-haired man" (72). The Friends/Quakers, use words like "hath" and "thou" and, since their way of life is very plain, they speak plainly as well, even describing the Abenaki simply as "tall" and "big" (69).

The Review
Karen Hutt (Booklist, February 15, 1998 (Vol. 94, No. 12))
Fourteen-year-old Samuel Russell hates being called a coward because he is a Quaker, and he vows to defend his family if Loyalists or Indians try to harm them. Stands Straight, an Abenaki boy whose mother and brother were murdered by white men, has joined his uncle's scouting party, though he questions why Indians should fight in the white man's war. In alternating narratives, the two boys tell this quietly compelling story, which is based on an actual incident that took place in 1777, just before the Battle of Saratoga. As Samuel's family sits in the meeting with the rest of the Quaker congregation, the Indian scouting party to which Stands Straight belongs surrounds the cabin. Stands Straight follows his uncle Sees-the-Wind inside, and after being assured that there are no weapons in the cabin, the Abenakis leave their bows and arrows outside and sit with the Quakers in silence. At the end of the meeting, the Quakers and the Indians share the handshake of peace, and Sees-the-Wind places an arrow over the cabin's door to show the Abenakis that the Quakers are people of peace. Simple black-and-white drawings reflect the dignified tone of the story, which explores the complexities of the Indian-white relationship, focusing on two lesser-known groups who were involved in the conflict. An author's note provides thorough historical background about the incident, as well as a brief history of the Quakers and the Abenakis. A truly excellent example of historical fiction for the middle-grade/junior-high audience.

The Connection
It could be interesting to do a reenactment of this story, having half of a group act as Quakers and half act as Abenaki. Much research should be done beforehand and could include reading books such as Abenaki by Marla Felkins Ryan and Linda Schmittroth and Captive Histories by Evan Haefeli and Kevin Sweeney for the study of Abenaki and The Quakers in America by Thomas Hamm and An Introduction to Quakerism by Pink Dandelion for the study of Quakers.