Sumner and Punnie

The North Water

A short, bodily intimacy with Punnie unsettles Sumner’s claim to be unattached when her attempt at farewell gives the relationship words.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

An Outsider at the Camp An Outsider at the Camp from "The North Water". Entering the Igloo A visitor among families Patrick Sumner joins Urgang and Merok at their winter camp.

An Outsider at the Camp from "The North Water". Entering the Igloo A visitor among families Patrick Sumner joins Urgang and Merok at their winter camp.

Entering the Igloo A visitor among families Patrick Sumner joins Urgang and Merok at their winter camp. He observes communal food, games, and sleeping arrangements without trying to explain himself. Distance maintained He tells himself he is not an Inuit, a Christian, an Irishman, or a doctor in any complete sense. His sense of belonging depends on refusing the idea of belonging.

A Shared Meal A Shared Meal from "The North Water". A Small Acceptance Food offered Sumner initially refuses seal blood and raw liver, sensing that his refusal disappoints the families.

A Shared Meal from "The North Water". A Small Acceptance Food offered Sumner initially refuses seal blood and raw liver, sensing that his refusal disappoints the families.

A Small Acceptance Food offered Sumner initially refuses seal blood and raw liver, sensing that his refusal disappoints the families. He eventually drinks from the shared pan. Participation without commitment The hunters welcome his acceptance. Sumner joins their games and music but insists internally that the gesture does not make him one of them.

A Night Together A Night Together from "The North Water". An Unspoken Encounter Punnie approaches Punnie presses herself against Sumner in the shared sleeping space.

A Night Together from "The North Water". An Unspoken Encounter Punnie approaches Punnie presses herself against Sumner in the shared sleeping space.

An Unspoken Encounter Punnie approaches Punnie presses herself against Sumner in the shared sleeping space. He understands her intention and they have sex without conversation. Meaning refused Sumner experiences the encounter as bodily rather than emotional. He uses the absence of words to avoid imagining what the intimacy might mean to either of them.

A Repeated Arrangement A Repeated Arrangement from "The North Water". Intimacy Without Recognition A nightly pattern Sumner and Punnie have sex on successive nights.

A Repeated Arrangement from "The North Water". Intimacy Without Recognition A nightly pattern Sumner and Punnie have sex on successive nights.

Intimacy Without Recognition A nightly pattern Sumner and Punnie have sex on successive nights. She does not speak or encourage him, and he interprets the silence as a custom he need not question. Unequal understanding He accepts the arrangement while keeping his own feelings unexamined. The relationship remains intimate in action and distant in language.

The Word Goodbye The Word Goodbye from "The North Water". An Attachment Named Punnie speaks Punnie turns toward Sumner and says “good-bye” in English.

An Attachment Named Punnie speaks Punnie turns toward Sumner and says “good-bye” in English. Her effort transforms a wordless pattern into a relationship that can be remembered and mourned. Sumner recoils He tells her to stop. The response reveals that he fears not intimacy itself but the obligations created when intimacy is acknowledged.

After Sumner accepts the hunting invitation

The first evening in the hunters’ camp

The first night beneath the deer hides

During the following week

The last night before Sumner returns to the mission