In the novel "A yellow Raft in blue water", author Michael Dorris gives us different themes to look at. There are themes of racism, power struggle, and conflict between appearances and inescapable reality. The story focuses around the lives of three generations of Native American women. Rayona, daughter of Christine, is a very reserved, intelligent, and quiet girl while her mother is more obnoxious, rebellious, and loud. Rayona is of mixed blood, half black and half Indian, and this creates a lot of struggles for her. Christine is a very self-conscious woman who looked for lover in the wrong places creating a feeling of void throughout most of her life. As mentioned before, "A yellow Raft in Blue Water" has various themes and one of them is identity. Rayona's physical appearance and lack of a stable life is her identity struggle, while Christine's are her lack of self-confidence and instability in her life.
             Rayona's physical appearance makes it very difficult for her to live a happy life. Rayona has a problem with her height and her slimness. She thinks that she is way too tall and too skinny, and this adds more to her self-consciousness. She feels as if she couldn't go anywhere without being remarked on her physical appearances. "'You're so very tall' ----Father Hurlburt switches languages and says to me---- 'but too thin. Have you made any friends yet around here?' He has not mentioned the color of my skin. I'm supposed to think he hasn't noticed" (Pg. 39). Rayona is also bi-racial and this brings a feeling of misplacement in her. She feels as if she's not Indian enough or black enough.
             We may be different shades but look at the blend. Dad's voice had been low, almost singing. He probably wasn't talking about me, but he might have been, since my skin is a combination of theirs. Once, in a hardware store, I found each of our exac...