Two Roads

Although Two Roads provides an accurate portrayal of the difficulties many people suffered during the era of the Great Depression, the author’s primary focus is on the shifting nature of personal identity when set against a volatile backdrop of both economic strife and systemic racism. Because Cal spends his early years under the assumption that he is white, he initially enjoys the social privileges that come with such an assumption and has very little reason to question the various stereotypes about Indigenous people that he is taught in school. While being raised as a white child, Cal does not perceive race as playing a dominant role in his life because it never hinders him. He notices race in others and tries to help others overcome the myriad misconceptions that widespread prejudices have imposed on them, but he is never subject to such injustices himself. The second he learns he has Creek ancestry, this changes.

When his father tells him of their Creek heritage, Cal is forced to reevaluate his present life, his internal self-image, and his social relationships within this new and unfamiliar framework. His task is made all the more complex because he already holds a strong personal identity as a “hobo” and proudly follows the code of honor set forth by his father; such unhoused people, while marginalized by mainstream society at this time, also upheld a rich subculture of their own, complete with hidden signs and common beliefs. Because Cal has such respect for his father, he also respects his lifestyle. Frequently at the beginning of the novel, Cal recites lines from the “hobo” code that his father has taught him: the mandates they live by. While such rules do not always make life easier, the code gives Cal and Pop a sense of honor in their poverty-stricken but proudly freewheeling lifestyle. Cal is proud of this identity and cannot imagine living another life. However, with the addition of Cal’s Creek identity, the boy must learn to navigate a whole new range of social constructs with very little guidance outside of the circle of friends he develops at school.

This is a challenging adjustment for Cal at first because while his father taught him good things about Indigenous people, he learned the opposite in school, particularly from one teacher who had very harsh opinions about all Indigenous people. This new Creek identity troubles him because he does not know how to assimilate it into the view that he already holds of himself. Ironically, it is in Challagi, a school that is supposed to educate Indigenous culture out of students, that Cal is able to learn what it means to be Creek and allow his heritage to become an integral part of his identity. While he does not initially know core aspects of Creek culture, while at the school, his friends make sure that he gets a practical education in such matters. By the end of the novel, Cal has not left behind his identity as either a “hobo” or his father’s son. He has, however, managed to integrate the newfound aspects of his Creek identity into his sense of himself. In this way, the novel posits that people can have multiple identities that complement each other rather than negate each other. Identity does not always dictate the road a person will take, but it will inform the way they travel that road. By the end of the novel, Cal has learned to travel his road—and to ride the rails—as a Creek.