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
The prologue opens with the word “dypaloh,” the Jemez equivalent to the English “once upon a time”––a word that begins a story. In an ancient and beautiful landscape, Abel runs along an empty road at dawn. His upper body is bare, and his skin is covered in rain, burnt wood, and ashes. In the vast landscape, he almost looks like he is standing still, “very little and alone.”
Beginning the book with “dypaloh” introduces the importance of storytelling in the novel. It frames the following events as a story, but their status as a story doesn’t negate their importance. This prologue also introduces the protagonist, Abel, who appears small in comparison to the landscape. The description of Abel as “very little and alone” foreshadows the isolation he will feel throughout the story, while introducing him running across the landscape introduces the significance of Abel’s connection to both nature and running.
Themes
