This is the longest single chapter of the novel; it is also unique because it is narrated entirely by a first-person narrator: Ben Benally. The narration is executed as an internal monologue, a sometimes dreamlike reverie, aided by a bottle of wine, in which Benally’s mind wanders from his recent […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Part 3: 20-FebSummary and Analysis Part 3: Los Angeles 1952
The title of the third part of House Made of Dawn designates the narrator, Ben Benally, a Navajo man who has been relocated from the rural, pastoral life of the northern Arizona/New Mexico Navajo reservation to the urban environment of Los Angeles. In traditional Navajo society, a chanter, or singer, […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Part 3: Los Angeles 1952Summary and Analysis Part 2: 27-Jan
This chapter consists entirely of the second of Tosamah’s two sermons. Much of the text was published earlier in a magazine article, and the whole chapter forms part of the prologue to the author’s next book, an autobiographical journey titled The Way to Rainy Mountain. Tosamah is thus closely identified […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Part 2: 27-JanSummary and Analysis Part 2: 26-Jan
This long chapter opens with a brief paragraph describing grunion spawning at high tide along the southern California coast. In contrast to the correlation of images with seasonal events in the preceding section, this image is unrelated to the time of year since grunion spawn at midsummer. The narrator emphasizes […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Part 2: 26-JanSummary and Analysis Part 2: Los Angeles 1952
As “The Longhair” is a title for Francisco, “The Priest of the Sun” designates Tosamah. In the two chapters of this section, Tosamah acts as a peyote priest and conducts a peyote ritual. However, his association with the sun draws more directly on older Kiowa tradition, which centered on reverence […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Part 2: Los Angeles 1952Summary and Analysis Part 1: 2-Aug
This short chapter ends the first of the novel’s four major sections. The celebration that began on the preceding day concludes with a procession, including both horse and bull, and the statue of the Virgin is carried back to the church. For the first time in his life, old Francisco […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Part 1: 2-AugSummary and Analysis Part 1: 1-Aug
Father Olguin’s point of view is presented at the beginning of this chapter. The priest is enjoying a deceptive feeling of oneness with the life of the village. Another ceremony is being prepared. This one draws many Navajo families and children; magnificently attired in velvets and silver, they enter the […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Part 1: 1-AugSummary and Analysis Part 1: 28-Jul
This chapter opens with several pages of lush descriptive writing, offering a picture of the landscape and its ancient, timeless character. The viewpoint is panoramic, panning across mountain, valley, and village below. The omniscient narrator describes various kinds of wildlife: birds — including road runners, quail and hawks — then […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Part 1: 28-JulSummary and Analysis Part 1: 25-Jul
This chapter takes place on the feast of Santiago, or Saint James. The narrator reflects primarily the point of view of Father Olguin, with some elements narrated from Angela’s point of view. The chapter opens with a folk tale about Santiago. The story is attributed to Father Olguin, but it […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Part 1: 25-JulSummary and Analysis Part 1: 24-Jul
When this section opens, Abel has agreed to take the job cutting wood for Angela St. John. Upon meeting Abel, Angela is surprised and disconcerted that he does not bargain over wages. The chapter follows events from her point of view as she first watches Abel work, then attempts to […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Part 1: 24-Jul