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Allusions
Key Examples in House Made of Dawn
Foil
Explanation and Analysis—Abel and Ben:
Abel and Ben Benally are foils, each emphasizing a different path for young American Indians under the U.S. policies of "Termination" (ceasing to recognize tribal sovereignty on American Indian reservations) and "Relocation" (encouraging or forcing American Indian people to migrate away from tribal land and into cities).
Related Themes:
5. The Longhair, July 28
Explanation and Analysis—Sex and Murder:
In Chapter 6, Abel kills, Juan Reyes Fragua, who has albinism. The murder scene contains imagery that emphasizes Fragua's and Angela's roles as foils for one another:
Unlock with LitCharts A+[Fragua] closed his hands upon Abel and drew him close. Abel heard the strange excitement of the white man's breath, and the quick, uneven blowing at his ear, and felt the blue shivering lips upon him, felt even the scales of the lips and the hot slippery point of the tongue, writhing. He was sick with terror and revulsion, and he tried to fling himself away, but the white man held him close. The white immensity of flesh lay over and smothered him. He withdrew the knife and thrust again, lower, deep into the groin.
Related Themes:
6. The Longhair, August 1
Explanation and Analysis—Sex and Murder:
In Chapter 6, Abel kills, Juan Reyes Fragua, who has albinism. The murder scene contains imagery that emphasizes Fragua's and Angela's roles as foils for one another:
Unlock with LitCharts A+[Fragua] closed his hands upon Abel and drew him close. Abel heard the strange excitement of the white man's breath, and the quick, uneven blowing at his ear, and felt the blue shivering lips upon him, felt even the scales of the lips and the hot slippery point of the tongue, writhing. He was sick with terror and revulsion, and he tried to fling himself away, but the white man held him close. The white immensity of flesh lay over and smothered him. He withdrew the knife and thrust again, lower, deep into the groin.
Related Themes:
