Canada was built on dead beavers

Canada was built on dead beavers

Margaret Atwood, one of Canada's most celebrated authors, is known for her thought-provoking and often controversial works that explore themes of power, politics, and the environment. In her novel "The Journals of Susanna Moodie," Atwood delves into the history of Canada and the impact of colonization on the country's landscape and wildlife. One of the central motifs in the novel is the image of the dead beaver, a symbol of the destruction and exploitation that accompanied the settlement of Canada.

In the early days of colonization, beavers were a valuable commodity for European fur traders, who hunted them to near extinction in their quest for profit. The beaver pelts were highly sought after in Europe for their warmth and durability, leading to a massive influx of fur trappers into the Canadian wilderness. As a result, the beaver population dwindled, and entire ecosystems were disrupted as a result of the fur trade.

Atwood uses the image of the dead beaver to symbolize the cost of progress and the toll that colonization took on the natural world. The beaver, once a symbol of Canada's wilderness and abundance, became a casualty of human greed and exploitation. By focusing on the beaver as a central motif in her novel, Atwood forces readers to confront the dark history of Canada's colonization and the environmental devastation that accompanied it.