Moon of the Crusted Snow

Nicole McCloud is the secondary main character of Moon of the Crusted Snow. Several chapters break away from Evan’s perspective to share Nicole’s point of view. Nicole approaches the growing disaster with a certain pragmatism, though she, like everyone else on the reservation, is deeply troubled by the failure of the infrastructure and lack of news from the south. Nicole and Evan have been together in some capacity since they were children. Nicole briefly left the reservation to attend college, but homesickness and love for Evan brought her back; though they are not married, Nicole and Evan have been together ever since. Because Evan takes on many important jobs in the community during the winter, Nicole’s role is mostly domestic. She supports Evan when he comes home, and she keeps their household functioning. Her generosity and communal spirit are expressed when she cooks for the maintenance workers and when she warms up to Meghan Connor, even though she is an outsider.

Nicole is a model parent to Maiingan and Nangohns, especially during the chaos of the winter. She shields her young children from the growing turmoil, using the lack of technology and modern conveniences as opportunities for them to practice Ojibwe, learn valuable survival skills, and bond with their family. Like her partner, Nicole believes in reviving the old Anishinaabe traditions. Aileen Jones indicates that she taught Nicole various medicines in the bush; these will serve her family and her community well in a world without modern medicine. Nicole faces the future resolutely, leaving behind most of the nostalgic vestiges of the family’s old life at the end of the novel and refusing to look back as she embraces a future guided by the old ways.

Justin Scott is the primary antagonist of Moon of the Crusted Snow. Known primarily by his last name, Scott is a survivalist with a mysterious past. He appears to have been a “doomsday prepper,” with a stockpile of weapons and supplies ready to help him live off the grid in the event of social collapse. Scott is an enormous man, with the physique of a bodybuilder and a shaved head. He affects a genial nature, which Evan sees through almost immediately, putting them at odds. Scott frequently misuses Ojibwe words and oversimplifies or stereotypes “Indian” culture. Scott is linked to the wendigo in Evan’s dream, linking him with cannibalism and the way that genocide has “consumed” the Anishinaabeg and other First Nations peoples.

Scott initially upholds his bargain to be of use to the village; he is, as he claimed, an adept hunter, harvesting at least one moose for the community. He does seem concerned with the welfare for the reservation community, but it is unclear whether it is genuine or a sociopathic bid for power. Scott insinuates himself into reservation life, getting people to warm up to him at first through his supply of contraband liquor. Evan and Scott nearly come to blows when Evan finds Scott partying at Cam’s apartment with Jenna Jones sitting on his lap. Scott is never directly implicated in Jenna’s and Tara’s deaths; he inspires too much fear for anyone to testify against him to tribal leadership. Scott seizes power as the strength of Terry and the band council falters. Scott takes advantage of people’s fear and hunger to amass a following among the white newcomers and reservation members alike, including Cam Whitesky. Throughout the winter, Scott drops hints that he knows of an alternative food source that could carry the community through spring. His apparent eagerness to commit cannibalism throws his character into further question. Scott dies after shooting Evan for accusing him of cannibalism; Meghan Connor, a newcomer whom Scott menaced throughout the winter, shoots him in the head with a hunting rifle.

Aileen Jones emphasizes the importance of elders in Anishinaabe culture. Aileen is “the last of the generation raised speaking Anishinaabemowin, with little English at all. She was one of only a few dozen left who could speak their language fluently” (146-47). Aileen is a widow; her husband, Eddie, a Korean War veteran, died several years ago. Aileen serves an important cultural role for the community because she remembers many traditional ceremonies, stories, and medicines that made up traditional Anishinaabe life.

Because of her knowledge of the past, Aileen becomes a hope for the future: The old ways of life are the only way to survive in a post-technological world. Aileen takes it upon herself to instruct Nicole and other women in the community in traditional medicine, which will come in handy without modern medicine. Evan feels a close connection to Aileen. He often visits her to check on her well-being and to hear her stories and lessons. On one such occasion, Aileen reminds Evan of the resilience of their people. They already have experience in Surviving an Apocalypse, and they will survive this one as well. Evan is personally devastated when Aileen passes away late in the winter.

Terry Meegis is the chief of the band that lives on the reservation. Terry is essentially Evan and Isaiah’s boss; Evan usually receives orders directly from him. Terry is a decent man and is regarded as a good leader—at least in normal times. However, when the power grid goes down, Terry’s crisis management skills are put to the test and are found lacking. While it is good that Terry listens to his councilors’ advice before taking action, he comes to rely on them too much, particularly his cousin, Walter Meegis. Terry is also unwilling or unable to take action in critical moments, resorting to cursing and largely shutting down rather than making difficult decisions. He makes the critical mistake of allowing Justin Scott to stay on the reservation; though it would have been cruel to reject Scott, it would have been a prudent decision to protect the reservation. In the moment of crisis when Scott kills Mark Phillips, Terry all but cedes power to Scott to control the situation. By midwinter, Terry’s function as chief is largely symbolic. He is a figurehead whose only real function is to distribute food—and even the logistics of that job are handled by Walter, Evan, Isaiah, and Tyler.

Isaiah North is Evan’s best friend since high school. Evan knows he can count on Isaiah for just about anything, no matter how dangerous; they are as close as brothers. Evan, however, cannot stand Isaiah’s taste in music, lamenting the fact that they used to enjoy metal together, while Isaiah now prefers country, likening the melodramatic lyrics to the struggles of their people. Isaiah, known as Izzy to his good friends, is a good-humored young man, always ready with a joke, even as the situation on the reservation grows dire. He works for the band maintenance department along with Evan and Tyler; the three of them become indispensable to the community during the harsh winter. Isaiah’s steadfast loyalty to Evan is proven when he unquestioningly joins Evan to confront Scott at the climax of the novel.

Nick Jones and Kevin Birch are two friends who left the reservation prior to the start of the novel to go to trade school at a college in Gibson, a town in the south. In college, they mostly stuck together, either due to racism from their white classmates or shyness on their part. When the infrastructure goes down, the two young men are stranded far from home, with no means of contacting their families. This is the same situation that their classmates are in; however, due to their background on the reservation, Nick and Kevin are more equipped to deal with it. They steal snowmobiles and escape, though not without a violent and potentially deadly encounter with two unnamed white assailants. Nick and Kevin’s story brings the truth of the societal collapse to their community. The young men bear evident trauma from their ordeals. Nick is one of the last people to see Tara and Jenna alive at the party with Justin Scott at Cam’s apartment.

Terry Meegis’s cousin, Walter Meegis is a serious and steadfast member of the band council. As the winter wears on and social unrest intensifies, more and more people turn to Walter for guidance. With his practical nature and concrete planning, Walter proves to be a more capable leader than Terry, though Terry retains the title of chief, even after the band administration effective dissolves. With most of the actual governing responsibilities fallen to him, Walter, in turn, places great trust in Evan, Isaiah, and Tyler to help him keep their community together.