Jesuit House Diary

The Jesuit House Diary of the St. Ignatius Mission affirmed many truths that are told by D'Arcy McNickle within the novel. This particular entry addresses young boys who ran away from the mission school. The text from the diary, starting on line 27, reads:

"Tonight 5 boys run away without any motive. One of them, Louis Malt, is caught at once, and sent to jail where he will remain till Friday morning, when he will be expelled from school.

McNickle provides us that critical lens to allow for readers to understand why Native children wanted to run from the mission school. They were punished for embracing their culture, using Native language, and McNickle hints at moments of punishment that readers can't quite decipher what he is hinting at--but physical violence was present. Their running was an act of survival. Again, it's important to note the Mountains too, along with the men sent to search for the boys, helped to prevent the Native children from escaping.