63 pages • 2 hours read
Velma WallisTwo Old Women
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1993A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Chapters 5-6Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 5 Summary: “Saving a cache of fish”
The arrival of spring brings an abundance of animal life. The women decide to dedicate themselves to muskrat hunting. They locate and stake out a muskrat tunnel, building a miniature version of their camp nearby. When they kill enough wildlife that is “more than their share” (72), they return to their base camp. They immediately decide that they need to relocate, given the growing chances that another tribe will find them and kill them for their hard-earned food supply. They make an “unpleasant trek” (74) to an insect-ridden thicket in hopes that other humans will not attempt to situate themselves in such burdensome circumstances. They do everything they can to erase their presence from their original base camp, only to realize that because they have pulled so much birch bark from the trees, their existence in the area is unquestionable. Since they can’t replace the bark, they hide and hope for the best. In their new location, the women must cover themselves in “muskrat grease” (75) and heavy clothing to avoid being “eaten alive” (75). They have a bountiful summer, full of freshly caught fish. Before long, fall starts to rear its head again. The women return to the base camp they had deserted at the end of winter, only to realize that they have more fish than they have places to store them. The women solve this by bundling the fish and surrounding them with “thorns and brush” (77) to deter animals from trying to eat them. Despite Ch’idzigyaak’s protests, Sa’ leaves the camp one day to explore a nearby hill. Sa’ feels “light-hearted” (78) and “energetic” (78) as she makes her way up. At the top, she discovers “vast patches of cranberries” (78) which she beings to shovel into her mouth; she hears a rustle and discovers a bull moose. Risking her life, she attempts to chase and kill the bull moose, a process that lengthens into an all-day affair. Unable to ever get close enough, Sa’ finally gives up and returns to a “worried” (81) Ch’idzigyaak. Sa’ relates the day’s adventures and her cranberry patch discovery. While Sa’ recovers from her bout with the bull moose, the women weave baskets for transporting the cranberries. Once they are home with their cranberry stash, they realize that they need to prepare for winter again. They build a high shelter and start a successful daily routine of “collecting wood, checking rabbit snares, and melting snow for water” (83). Having much less work to do now that they are substantially prepared for the winter, the women fall victim to the thoughts that they have been ignoring for the past year. As they dwell on their earlier abandonment, “a great loneliness slowly encloses them” (84).
Chapter 6 Summary: “Sadness among The People”
While the two women have gone from surviving to thriving over the course of the past year, The People have become increasingly more destitute. They return to the original camp where they had abandoned Sa’ and Ch’idzigyaak. The Chief thinks back to a moment of “weakness” (86) when he almost considered going back for the two women. He then congratulates himself on his ability to resist letting “his emotions […] ruin them all” (86) and on his ability to sustain consistent leadership in the face of “disaster” (86). The People did have some small success directly after abandoning the two women, but it was cut short as soon as fall approached. Now that they are back at their initial camp, The Chief looks in disbelief as he realizes there is no sign of the two women they had left there to die. Daagoo, a respected elder and former tracker, is the only one to speak up when he says, “Maybe they moved on” (88). The Chief sends Daagoo and three hunters to search the nearby camps. Daagoo worries that The Chief’s guilty conscience will eventually lead to his ruin, therefore, he is extra hopeful that that they find the abandoned women. Once the men leave on their mission, The Chief reflects on the way his people have “suffered silently” (90) since they left the two women behind and hopes that finding them will restore his community’s faith. The search team moves quickly, and the younger members quickly become annoyed at their task when no evidence presents itself. After searching two camps, they express a desire to throw in the towel and hunt instead. Daagoo asks them to “look closely” (91), instead of hurriedly, and finally one of them notices the bare patches of birch left behind by the two women. Even then the younger men are not convinced and turn “sulky” (92) when Daagoo directs them to split up and search for “anything unusual” (92). Daagoo sets out on his own, trying to place himself in the old women’s shoes. As his search drags, he begins to side with the young hunters in thinking that this was a “useless hunt” (93). Just when Daagoo is about to give up, he catches a hint of smoke. He moves about, trying to track it down, and eventually finds an area where the smell is unmistakable. He returns for the other hunters and leads them to where he smelled the smoke. After a few minutes, one of the hunters picks out the scent as well. Daagoo tries to call the women’s names into the darkness, confident as ever that they are nearby, but he is only met with “silence” (96).
Chapters 5-6 Analysis
The importance of moderation is one of the most prevalent undercurrents in this section. In many instances, a surplus proves to be negative rather than positive. For example, when the two women have a surplus of muskrat and other food stored, they worry about being murdered for it. Similarly, when they pull too much bark from the birch trees, they realize that moderate consumption wouldn’t have put them at risk for being found. Additionally, when they have the surplus of fish, they concoct ways to keep it safe from dangerous, hungry animals. The “only take your fair share” concept also applies to Sa’ and her confrontation with the bull moose. Her desire for delicacy could have cost her dearly and was also the cause of great pain to Ch’idzigyaak.
The chief’s character deepens significantly in this section. Previously described as conscientious but cold, his humanity now starts to shine through. Leaving the women behind to die causes him great psychological damage; he desperately wants to find them in hopes of proving to himself that he did not contribute to their deaths. This desperation begins to show the cracks in the once impenetrable mask of The Chief. For much of the book, human life is treated casually. It is only this later section that reveals a blossoming reverence for life and a sense of justice. The women’s ability to triumph in the face of The People’s callous indifference matched with The People’s increasing struggles to survive show that life is more than just a gamble.
