Empire of Wild

Explore the novel’s depiction of gender and gender dynamics, both in terms of the characters’ interpersonal relationships and the myth of the rogarou. How are gender roles and dynamics depicted? In what ways do characters conform to, or diverge from, traditional gender expectations?

What is the significance of Joan and Victor having an argument about selling her land right before he disappears? How does the nature of this argument relate to broader themes within the novel and to the history of Indigenous peoples in North America more generally?

Within the novel’s plot, Joan functions as the hero figure, with Ajean and Zeus as her sidekicks and helpers. In what ways does Joan embody traditional characteristics of a hero? In what ways is she unusual as a heroic figure?