A Quick Guide to “A Yellow Raft in Blue Water”

By Students' Academy

“A Yellow Raft in Blue Water” by Michael Dorris was first published in 1987. This novel is written from the view points of Royana, Christine, and Aunt Ida, the major characters in the novel.

These three narrators keep on exchanging viewpoints between different parts of the novel.

The story revolves around a young woman Royana, her birth mother, Christine, and Aunt Ida, the adoptive mother of Christine.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Raja Sharma
• Release date: May 23, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301285747

Students' Academy

Easy study guides for the students of English literature.

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A Quick Guide to A Yellow Raft in Blue Water

College Guide World

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A Quick Guide to A Yellow Raft in Blue Water

College Guide World

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Chapter One: Introduction to A Yellow Raft in Blue Waters

A Yellow Raft in Blue Water by Michael Dorris was first published in 1987. This novel is written from the view points of Royana, Christine, and Aunt Ida, the major characters in the novel.

These three narrators keep on exchanging viewpoints between different parts of the novel.

The story revolves around a young woman Royana, her birth mother, Christine, and Aunt Ida, the adoptive mother of Christine.

In the opening of the novel, we find Royana in the hospital. She is playing cards with Christine.

Rayon’s African American father Elgin visits the hospital and this makes Christine angry. She leaves the hospital with Royana. She threatens to commit suicide at the same spot where Royana was conceived.

Finally, Christine goes out, and leaves Royana with Aunt Ida. With the progress of time, Royana starts learning about herself and where she came from.

Royana, ultimately, runs away and starts living with a family at Bear Paw Lake. She finally comes back to Aunt Ida.

Chapter Two: Plot Summary

A Yellow Raft in Blue Water has three parts, and each section of this novel is narrated by three different women. They are Native American women named Royana, Christine, and Ida.

The narration presented by Rayona starts at a hospital. She is playing cards with Christine, her mother. Christine is a heavy drinker, and she is often hospitalized, affected by the heavy use of drinks.

Elgin, Rayona’s father, comes into the room in the hospital and starts arguing with Christine.

After a while Rayona reaches the parking lot, and there she finds Christine trying to break into their car. Christine tells Rayona that she wants to crash the car so that Rayona can get the insurance money.

Rayona forces her mother to the other side of the seat and she sits in the driving seat, and then Rayona and her mother drive off.

Christine does not want to live their home anymore. She wants to go back to the reservation in Montana where she had spent her childhood.

That night Christine and Rayona pack their things and they leave their home the following day.

When they happen to be about one mile away from the house of Christine’s mother, their car breaks down. Since there is no other option, Christine and Rayona walk the rest of the way to the house of Christine’s mother.

Ida, Christine’s mother, is called Aunt Ida by both Christine and