Tomson Highway and Michel Tremblay

            The 20th century was a time of great struggle for Canada and its citizens. It was a time in which Canadians were referred to as "not Americans" and Canada was referred to as "not America". In fact, it wasn't until about 20 years ago that Canada received a total independence from Great Britain. Many people tried to define what exactly Canadian identity is, and explore Canadian roots. We haven't really found a clear-cut definition, but many people around the world, view us as a multicultural nation (we are very proud of that). That is what being a Canadian is all about, accepting multiculturalism and diversity, all of us combining our roots and making a great nation of people. .
             There are two Canadian playwrights who beautifully captured our roots and even more so, our identity. Tomson Highway and Michel Tremblay come from two very different backgrounds. Highway is a native Canadian, and Tremblay is a French-Canadian. Both of the authors express their experiences in finding a place in Canada's society in two greatly constructed plays, The Rez Sisters and Bonjour, la, Bonjour by Highway and Tremblay respectively. Each play demonstrates in a unique way the tales of turmoil and tenacity that native and French-Canadians had to go through in order to be accepted as part of a Canadian society. This essay will provide a comparative analysis exploring the above two classic Canadian novels and how each play explores and helps create a unique Canadian identity by reflecting the author's experiences, revealing social and ethical values of the time, and how the authors try to unite us through drama.