The Outside Circle

Content Warning: This section of the guide discusses violence, substance abuse, and abuse of Indigenous people.

Pete Carver is the protagonist of The Outside Circle, an Indigenous man who embarks on a healing journey throughout the novel akin to the conventions of a coming-of-age narrative. The novel presents two distinct versions of Pete: the older, wiser Pete who leads the In Search of Your Warrior Program and the younger Pete who undergoes the healing journey. The plot of the story revolves around the younger Pete, whose experiences mirror those of many other Indigenous people. Young Pete is caught in a cycle of Intergenerational Trauma and the Legacy of Colonialism. At the beginning of the novel, he is entangled in violence—a recurring motif throughout the novel—and disconnected from his family and heritage. He works for a gang and behaves aggressively: He attacks young kids, rejects Crystal when she shares her pregnancy news, uses offensive language, and ends up shooting Dennis. This is a turning point that lands him in prison, forming the novel’s inciting incident. In moments of aggression, Pete is depicted wearing a red and white mask, symbolic of the anger that conceals his true self.