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.