Five Little Indians

Kenny is a 10-year-old Indian boy who was sent to the Mission at the age of six. Since that time, he has repeatedly tried to escape. Lauded as the class hero, the other children view Kenny as indestructible in the face of daily abuse from the Catholic staff at the Indian School.

Kenny is generous toward fellow sufferer, Howie, and helps him escape with his family. Kenny also escapes and flees to his mother’s house. Unfortunately, his years away have created a rift between Kenny and his own people because they no longer share anything in common. Just as he fled the Mission, Kenny eventually flees his mother’s home to seek work in the white world.

Despite his bravado, Kenny has internalized a sense of worthlessness that follows him throughout life. Even after he establishes a stable relationship with Lucy, he feels the need to escape. He develops an alcohol use disorder, which results in his death. Although Kenny is self-destructive, his love for his wife and daughter causes him to provide for them financially in life and by an insurance policy after his death.