Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in House Made of Dawn, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Home, Belonging, and Identity
Nature
Religion, Ceremony, and Tradition
Storytelling
Connection vs. Isolation
Summary
Analysis
This chapter, which also takes place in 1952 Los Angeles, is narrated in the first person by Ben Benally. He describes saying goodbye to a man (implied to be Abel) on a rainy train platform. Abel’s hands are bandaged, and he is still recovering from the injuries he received in the last section. After Abel gets on the train, Ben worries that people will be afraid of a beat-up stranger and not offer help to Abel if he needs it. The thought makes Ben feel lonely.
The story remains in first person, switching from Tosamah’s spoken sermon to Ben Benally’s inner monologue. Ben has been mentioned earlier in the story, but this chapter introduces him as a fully-formed character. His interactions with Abel establish Ben as a caregiver; he looks after Abel and worries about him when he leaves. Ben also understands and relates to Abel’s feelings of isolation.
Themes
Ben walks through Los Angeles in the rain, taking in the city. He goes to a bar popular with Indigenous people in the city. Sometimes a corrupt cop named Martinez visits the bar, and the owner bribes him to be amenable. Ben sees a friend at the bar, but his friend is with a girl, so Ben makes up an excuse to leave. He immediately regrets leaving the bar for the lonely city street.
Like Abel, Ben has trouble connecting with other people and often undermines his own attempts to do so––for instance, leaving the bar instead of spending time with his friend. Ben’s perspective also introduces the reality of living in a metropolis as a Native American, which is a vastly different lifestyle than Abel experiences in Walatowa.
Themes
Ben gets home and sees that he and Abel left a window open after trying to persuade a pigeon to fly into the apartment. The rain from the open window has soaked through the floor. As Ben dries his shirt on the radiator, he thinks of Abel and Milly. He likes Milly, and he hopes she will continue visiting him even though Abel has left. Ben remembers how Milly eventually stopped trying to structure Abel’s treatment around questionnaires and let herself grow friendly with Abel and Ben, which convinced Abel to open up to her. Ben isn’t sure whether Milly will visit the next day.
As Abel’s social worker, Milly is a representative of the government’s continued influence over his life. She only manages to build a connection with him when she lets go of the bureaucratic side of her job and embraces the human element. She has not built that kind of connection with Ben, who has been in her life only as Abel’s friend, so Ben can’t be sure if Milly will continue to see him.
Themes
Ben’s thoughts turn to the previous night. In his memory, he, Abel, Tosamah, and Tosamah’s disciple Cruz go to a social event on a hill outside the city. They and the other partygoers (who are all Native American) drink, drum, sing, and dance. The drumming and singing drowns out the noise of the city, which looks tiny from up on the hill.
Distanced from their homelands, the Native American population in Los Angeles manufactures their own distinctly Indigenous space outside the city. They physically distance themselves from the city and drown out its noise with their music, temporarily forsaking urban life and drawing from various Native American traditions.
Themes
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Abel takes Ben aside, and they discuss their plans to return to their respective reservations and eventually reunite with each other. Ben has taught Abel about some Navajo songs and the stories behind them. As people sing at the party, Ben wants to pray. Quietly, so only Abel can hear him, Ben sings a traditional song that begins, “Tségihi. House made of dawn.” The song is one of beauty, healing, and connecting to nature.
Ben is a more openly religious character than Abel, yet he seems something in Abel that inspires Ben to include Abel in his prayers. Ben connects to his religion through Navajo songs, which convey stories to those familiar with them. His song of the “house made of dawn” honors nature, highlighting that many Native American tribes (not just the Jemez and Kiowa) value connecting to the natural world.
Themes
Ben believes that Abel is unlucky and could never fit in in Los Angeles. He notes that Tosamah has called Abel a “longhair,” which prompts Ben to remember another conversation with Tosamah. The priest once told Ben that although non-Indigenous society tried to “civilize” Abel, after they left him alone, he proved to be “a real primitive sonuvabitch.” Tosamah marveled that Abel’s defense at the trial centered around accusing the albino man of being a shapeshifter. Tosamah believe Abel was influenced by Catholicism, which Tosamah condemns as a colonialist scheme. Ben dismissed Tosamah’s speech, since the priest was formally educated and didn’t grow up on a reservation, and he thus thinks he’s above superstition and magic.
Though Tosamah himself is Native American, he considers himself more sophisticated and “civilized” than Abel because Tosamah is better able to navigate white America. Tosamah hates colonialist systems and the oppression they impose on Native Americans, but he perpetuates colonialist and racist stereotypes by repeatedly calling Abel “uncivilized” and “primitive.” He reduces Abel to the stereotype of the “noble savage,” a primitive man untainted by the corrupting forces of civilization. Despite this perception of Abel, Tosamah also believes that Abel is negatively influenced by Catholicism, which he describes as a project of colonialism, though Ben dismisses that black-and-white worldview.
Themes
Ben recalls meeting Abel at work, where they are stationed opposite each other at a factory assembly line. Ben worries about how Abel will react to the racist comments he endures from the other men in the factory, so he invites Abel to have lunch with him away from the others. When Ben learns that Abel’s Relocation officer has yet to find him a place to live, Ben invites Abel to stay with him, and Abel accepts. Abel doesn’t talk much about himself, but Ben feels connected to him because they both come from reservations.
As soon as Ben meets Abel, he takes Abel under his wing. He recognizes what he has in common with Abel––they are both Native American men from reservations who have been relocated into a city with no connection to the lands of their ancestors. Abel’s Relocation officer works to carry out a federal policy of relocating Native Americans from their reservations following a withdrawal of government support for those reservations.
Themes
In a long, italicized paragraph, Ben describes his childhood, briefly narrating in the second person. He focuses on the beauty of the land, recalling the rare occasions when the area sees snow. Young Ben’s grandfather is firm but understanding, and they share warm coffee to ward off the cold before Ben goes out to herd the sheep. He enjoys being alone with the sheep because he can sing to himself. His grandfather brings him to the trading post, and when they return home Ben appreciates living surrounded by natural beauty and wonder.
The novel continues to play with narrative conventions, switching briefly into the second person before moving back to first person. Ben’s childhood is as traditional and rural as Abel’s was, which speaks to how much he had to adjust to become competent at navigating Los Angeles. Even in childhood, Ben displays a love of singing and an appreciation for the natural world’s beauty.
Themes
Ben reflects on Abel’s difficulty getting used to life in Los Angeles. Abel’s troubles worsen as government workers repeatedly intrude on his life and warn him to stay out of trouble. Ben believes the heart of the issue is that the government workers have completely different frames of reference than men like him and Abel. He believes that people from reservations want to adjust to life outside of them, since they appreciate modern amenities, but it takes effort. A similar problem arises at work as Abel’s supervisor becomes controlling.
The government officials play an active role in Abel’s worsening mental health. This highlights how United States policies and the agents who enact them undermine Indigenous communities and individual people. Ben doesn’t fully grasp this, however, and he maintains a naïve trust in the relocation process—perhaps because it seems like he had a more successful experience than Abel.
Themes
Abel’s life begins a downward spiral. Fed up with Tosamah’s comments about “longhairs,” Abel attacks the priest. He gets so drunk afterward that he misses work for the next two days, and when he returns the supervisor is more aggressive than usual. Abel walks out of the factory, effectively quitting his job, and his alcoholism becomes worse when he is unemployed. He asks Ben for money, and when Ben eventually refuses to give him any, Abel starts asking Milly. Milly and the Relocation officers try to find Abel new jobs, but he is always too drunk to care about them. Despite this, Ben remembers good times in this period, always involving Milly.
Abel is unequipped for city life, and he tries to manage his problems with the violence that helped him in World War II. In civilian life, however, that violence damages his friendships and worsens his isolation. His outburst at Tosamah’s repeated jabs about “longhairs” also makes clear that Abel is aware of and impacted by racism; he just does his best to remain stoic in the face of it. Ben continues trying to look out for Abel, refusing to give him funds to enable his alcoholism, but Abel is not in a state to appreciate that gesture.
Themes
Ben knows that Milly likes Abel more than him, and he worries that Abel will hurt the overly-trusting Milly. He knows that Milly has endured pain in her life, and he fears that she is easy to hurt. His memories of Milly are interspersed with italicized stream-of-consciousness paragraphs about a laughing girl from “Cornfields.” When Abel, Ben, and Milly are at the beach once, Abel tells a joke that makes Milly laugh. Her laughter pulls Ben deeper into his thoughts about the girl from Cornfields.
Ben’s role as Abel’s protector and caregiver means their friendship is not an equal one, leaving Ben feeling isolated even when among friends. He expresses his care for people with a desire to protect them, and he feels that protectiveness for Milly. Yearning for a deeper connection with Milly triggers Ben’s memories of the girl from Cornfields.
Themes
In his memory, Ben meets the girl at Cornfields (a place on the reservation) after returning home from school. He rides on horseback there to watch a ceremonial dance, and on the long ride Ben reconnects with the land. The horse is strong and powerful, and riding it inspires Ben to pray. He sings a song about the son of the Turquoise Woman, a figure in the Navajo religion, and about the love the son feels for his horse. When Ben arrives at Cornfields, he sees the girl among the dancers and is entranced by her beauty. The two dance together, and Ben remembers that night in vivid detail. He never sees the girl again.
Ceremony and religion play a significant role in Ben’s upbringing. That religion informs his appreciation for nature and specifically his love and connection to his horse. Ben’s reverence for beauty is also an aspect of his religion, so his infatuation with the girl in Cornfields borders on worship.
Themes
Ben’s memory shifts to a night when he and Abel are returning from their usual bar. Martinez, the police officer, holds Ben and Abel up in an alley, taunting the two men with the power he has over them. He demands the men give him their money; Ben hands over his, but he explains that Abel is unemployed and has nothing to give Martinez. Martinez responds by striking Abel’s hands with his flashlight, leaving Abel’s hands swollen and his pride wounded. Ben compares Abel’s silent fixation on the incident with his inability to forget his fight with Tosamah. After this night, Abel becomes even more withdrawn and distant.
Even when they are both in danger, Ben tries to protect Abel. However, Ben doesn’t have the power to defend his friend from Martinez. Abel’s relocation officers and manager at the factory degrade Abel by treating him as incapable of managing his own life. Martinez, on the other hand, is outwardly malicious and violent, undermining Abel’s pride by asserting his own dominance. This instance of violent indignity worsens Abel’s deteriorating self-esteem and mental health.
Themes
Ben remembers taking Abel with him to Westwood on a delivery for the factory. While Ben unloads the truck, Abel points out a white woman (Angela) to Ben and explains that he used to work for her and that they had a romance. He repeats several times that she was going to help him get out of the reservation, but he “got himself in trouble.” Ben doesn’t believe Abel, but he realizes Abel is telling the truth when Angela later comes to visit him in the hospital.
Abel’s insistence that Angela intended to help Abel leave Walatowa is the first time the book introduces this notion. During the “Longhair” chapter, Abel never articulated a desire to leave his pueblo, and Angela never asked him about it. The fact that this element of their relationship remained hidden from the reader emphasizes the limited scope of the narration and indicates that Abel’s inner life is richer than his terse perspective might suggest.
Themes
Back in the present, Ben’s thoughts return to the rain and his wet floor, which makes him think of his elderly downstairs neighbor. His only encounter with his neighbor was when her beloved pet guinea pig died and she stood on the stairs, hugging her pet and talking about it to Ben and Abel. She wouldn’t let the men take the guinea pig out into the alley, and Ben wonders if she still has its body, since it was her friend.
The old woman is just one lonely character in a novel full of them. Her loneliness, as well as the lack of interaction between her and Ben, speaks to the isolation of city life and suggests that this sense of urban alienation is not exclusively felt by Native Americans.
Themes
Ben reflects on his life in Los Angeles. He enjoys life in the city, which is full of commodities that “you’d be crazy not to want,” and he prefers it to living off the “empty and dead” land. He believes that the policies of Relocation and Termination are designed to help Indigenous people. Tosamah has derided these policies to Ben, but Ben no longer trusts the priest’s judgment. As Ben thinks about this, he tries to work out how much money he spent over the course of the night, revealing that he has been drinking throughout the chapter.
Ben’s memories of the Navajo reservation where he grew up paint the land as rich, and they indicate that he was deeply connected to it. However, he has been convinced by the claims of the federal government that their withdrawal of support for reservations is in the best interest of Native Americans. Ben’s blind faith in colonialist institutions and the conveniences of city life contrast with Tosamah’s hatred of all elements of colonialism. While Tosamah refuses to acknowledge how some Native Americans have reclaimed and repurposed ideas created by colonizers, Ben refuses to acknowledge the harm that colonialism causes.
Themes
Ben thinks about how his relationship with Abel degraded as Abel grew more withdrawn and more dependent on alcohol. He remembers Abel growing perpetually angry at himself, the world, and people around him. Ben and Abel have a fight, and Abel declares that he is going to get even with the “culebra”––a word for snake that he also applies to the albino man. Abel doesn’t return for 3 days, and an increasingly worried Ben cannot find him. Finally, Abel returns, badly injured and covered in blood. His hands are completely broken. Ben calls an ambulance.
Abel is unable to find a place for himself in a world that doesn’t adhere to his traditional sense of right and wrong. He views both the albino man and Martinez as “snakes” that are inherently evil and therefore are his enemies. Since he believes fighting and killing one’s enemies to be justified, he doesn’t consider the possible consequences of doing so––or, if he does consider them, they do not deter him from pursuing a fight. This worldview clashes with reality, and the implication is that here, Martinez nearly kills Abel. Ben’s loyalty to Abel and willingness to call for help save Abel’s life.
Themes
At the hospital, a nurse asks Ben for information about Abel. Ben doesn’t know how to answer her questions, and he waits all day to be allowed to see Abel. When the doctors let him in, Abel is still unconscious, and that night Ben calls Angela. She visits 2 days later, when Abel has woken up, and talks to him. She tells Abel about her son Peter, and she recites a story she tells Peter about a Native American hero born of a bear and maiden. She tells Abel that the story makes her think of him.
Ben’s inability to answer the nurse’s question speaks to the divide between Native Americans and the bureaucratic systems of colonialist white America. Angela’s reappearance shows that she has grown as a person since her romance with Abel. She has come to terms with motherhood and genuinely cares for Abel, enough to model a fairy tale hero after him.
Themes
Ben is startled that Angela has made up a story that closely resembles a Navajo legend. He relates the story his grandfather told him about Esdzá shash nadle, or the Changing Bear Maiden. Two sisters marry two old men, Bear and Snake. After the women have sex with their husbands, they realize who they have married and flee. The older sister, who married the Bear, runs to a mountain temple, where holy people help her. The woman, Bear Maiden, gives birth to a son who becomes a strong man. He then has sex with his wife’s sister, and they have a child. The woman abandons the child in shame, but the Bear finds the child. The story ends with the last lines of the House of Dawn prayer, which praise the beauty of the world.
Once again, the narrative pauses for a character to recount a traditional legend, continuing to position all stories as equally important. Unlike many European fairy tales, the story of the Changing Bear Maiden does not include an obvious moral, which recalls Tosamah’s sermon about how Native Americans use fewer words in their stories than white people do as a way to show respect for the power of words. The repetition of the Navajo House of Dawn prayer emphasizes the importance of appreciating nature.
Themes
Ben thinks again of the party he and Abel attended the previous night. Abel’s return home makes him want to pray. In his memory, Ben looks forward to reuniting with Abel and singing “about the way it always was.”
Though Ben believes city life to be superior to life on a reservation, Abel’s return to Walatowa pushes Ben back towards his faith. On some level, he wants to return home and live “the way it always was,” the way his ancestors lived, but Ben has settled for life in Los Angeles and can only imagine reuniting with Abel on the reservation.
Themes
