After sleeping off his liquor for a day and a night, Abel gets up early in the morning and climbs a hill that overlooks the city. The author follows this brief scene with six fragments marking milestones or significant elements from Abel’s past. These brief stories are presented chronologically, from […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Part 1: 21-JulSummary and Analysis Part 1: 20-Jul
This section describes the reunion of Francisco and his grandson, Abel, who is a returning veteran of World War II. The section opens with a descriptive passage in present tense, suggesting the eternal beauty of the landscape. Then, moving into the past tense designating a specific event, the narration begins […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Part 1: 20-JulSummary and Analysis Part 1: Walatowa Canon De San Diego 1945
“Longhair” could describe Francisco, grandfather of Abel, the novel’s protagonist. Francisco is an elder of the village. The word “Longhair” can also refer to an American Indian man who maintains the old ways, a cultural conservative who does not adopt the modern practice of cutting his hair; it can also […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Part 1: Walatowa Canon De San Diego 1945Summary and Analysis Prologue
The prologue opens the book with a scene-painting passage which describes in three paragraphs the vision of a man named Abel, running in a vast landscape. Like other descriptive passages in the novel, this one is in present tense, emphasizing the timeless beauty of the land and the ageless customs […]
Read more Summary and Analysis PrologueCharacter List
Relatively few characters are involved in the actual events that take place during the time period covered by the novel, between July 1945 and February 1952. Many other characters are mentioned or remembered, often only in a phrase or a single sentence. These secondary, or remembered, characters are noted in […]
Read more Character ListAbout House Made of Dawn
The action of House Made of Dawn takes place between July 20, 1945, and February 28, 1952. The narration comprises an undated prologue and four dated sections set in the pueblo of Walatowa (Jemez), New Mexico (prologue and sections 1 and 4) and the Los Angeles area (sections 2 and […]
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