Someday Play Study Guide

Vocabulary flashcards covering the characters, themes, symbols, and historical context of the play 'Someday' by Drew Hayden Taylor.

Sixties Scoop

The period when Indigenous children were taken from their families by child welfare agencies like the Children’s Aid Society and forced to assimilate with white adoptive families.

Rodney

A $25$-year-old family friend and Barb’s boyfriend who acts as the narrator, comic relief, and a supportive outsider for the Wabung family.

Barb Wabung

Anne’s $23$-year-old daughter who is practical and frustrated, having grown up in the shadow of her lost sister, Grace.

Anne Wabung

The $53$-year-old mother who wins the lottery and uses the money to find her daughter, Grace, after $35$ years of separation.

Janice Wirth

The birth name of Grace Wabung; a $35$-year-old independent woman raised by a white family who returns to the reserve to find answers about her past.

Otter Lake Reserve

A fictional Ojibway community in Ontario which serves as the setting for the play.

Christmas $1991$

The specific time period during which the play is set, approximately $35$ years after Grace was taken from her family.

Identity

A theme explored through Grace’s struggle to choose between her Indigenous and non-Indigenous culture and her questioning of where she belongs.

Intergenerational trauma

A major focus of the story caused by the Sixties Scoop and government policies that affected multiple generations of Indigenous people.

Christmas (Symbol)

Representing family and reunion, this symbol shows that reality cannot always meet perfect expectations.

Lottery Ticket (Symbol)

A symbol of hope and dreams that ultimately demonstrates that money cannot solve emotional wounds.

Home (Symbol)

A symbol of belonging that differs for each character; for example, Janice views Toronto as home while her biological family is on the reserve.

Children’s Aid Society

The child welfare agency mentioned as having taken Indigenous children from their families.

Loss (Theme)

An emotion affecting every family member: Anne lost her daughter, Barb lost her sister, and Grace lost her culture.

Drew Hayden Taylor

The author of the play Someday.