Indian Camp

“Uncle George gave both the Indians cigars.”

What seems to be an insignificant gesture provides a possible interpretation of the story. New fathers frequently give out cigars to celebrate the birth of a new child, so Uncle George giving the men implies that he is the father of the child they have come to deliver. However, the text never directly states this, leaving the child’s paternity open to interpretation.

“‘This lady is going to have a baby, Nick,’ he said.

‘I know,’ said Nick.

‘You don’t know,’ said his father. ‘Listen to me. What she is going through is called being in labor. The baby wants to be born and she wants it to be born. All her muscles are trying to get the baby born. That is what is happening when she screams.’

‘I see,’ Nick said.”

This exchange of dialogue between Nick and Dr. Adams reveals the characterization of the father and son. Instead of waiting for a narrator to tell us the characters’ mindsets as they row into the camp, the dialogue shows Dr. Adams’s knowledge and impatience, as well as Nick’s eagerness to please his father.

“‘No. I haven’t any anæsthetic,’ his father said. ‘But her screams are not important. I don’t hear them because they are not important.’”

This bit of dialogue characterizes Dr. Adams. Instead of the well-prepared and caring doctor he tries to portray himself as, he reveals that he is unequipped (lacking anesthetic) and uncaring, dismissing the woman’s screams as unimportant.