One of the major conflicts in the novel faced by Mercy is that she is battling between becoming an Indian or staying English and not 'giving in' like Ruth. I believe that she enjoys the Indian way of life. It has many new things to offer her like weaving baskets and learning about the natural world. Mercy takes pleasure in having more freedom and learning this very unique way of life. When she lived with …showed first 75 words of 379 total…

…showed last 75 words of 379 total…she was brought up in a way that taught her to fear and hate other religions. She wasn't brought up to be tolerant. Now she must live every day with catholic and Indian believers, whom she was taught to despise. This religion is luring her in and she wants to learn about it, yet she is always feeling that what she is doing is evil. These are the conflicts that Mercy faces throughout the novel.