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The story’s emphasis on running and races, specifically the “race of the dead,” represents both Francisco and Abel’s connection to Walatowa and their community. Francisco is deeply connected to the community of Walatowa, and as a young man he often engaged in traditional community-wide footraces that strengthened his bond to the town. Francisco is introduced to the reader remembering his victory in a race that earned him a good hunt that year. Running is a tradition with spiritual and community-building significance, and Francisco’s lifelong commitment to running demonstrates his unwavering connection to Walatowa.
Abel, on the other hand, feels detached from his community, and as such he does not run until he’s an adult. Only when Francisco dies is Abel compelled to run, as he sees people running the race of the dead and decides to join them. Although Abel sees other runners when he decides to race, he quickly finds himself alone, and continues running across the plains to the point of exhaustion. Only then does he feel at peace and in harmony with his homeland. Abel’s participation in the race of the dead signifies his acceptance of the traditions Francisco hands down to him. He takes on Francisco’s mantle of a runner, joins the racers that Francisco showed him as a young boy, and begins to connect to Walatowa the way Francisco did by running through its landscape.
Running and Races Quotes in House Made of Dawn
The House Made of Dawn quotes below all refer to the symbol of Running and Races. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Prologue Quotes
Dypaloh. There was a house made of dawn. It was made of pollen and of rain, and the land was very old and everlasting. There were many colors on the hills, and the plain was bright with different-colored clays and sands. Red and blue and spotted horses grazed in the plain, and there was a dark wilderness on the mountains beyond. The land was still and strong. It was beautiful all around.
Abel was running.
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The novel opens with the word “dypaloh,” the Jemez equivalent to the English phrase “once upon a time”––in other words, a word that introduces a story. The story acknowledges that it is a story, but that does not mean it does not contain truth, or that it is unimportant. This opening also pays close attention to the landscape, and in fact introduces the features of the natural world before introducing the protagonist. Abel, the main character, is introduced in the context of the Southwestern landscape, establishing the importance of nature and of Abel’s personal relationship to the natural world. The Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debit
11. The Dawn Runner, February 27 Quotes
He had begun at the wrong pace, another and better man’s pace, had seen the man come almost at once to the top of his strength, hitting his stride without effort […]. And like a fool he had taken up the bait, whole and at once, had allowed himself to be run into the ground. In the next instant his lungs should burst, for now they were burning with pain and the pain had crowded out the last and least element of his breath, and he should stumble and fall. But the moment passed […] and the next and the next, and he was running still, and still he could see the dark shape of the man running away […] like a motionless shadow. And he held onto the shadow and ran beyond his pain.
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Francisco’s last memory before he dies is of a race he ran as a young man. The language of physical exertion and pain as he runs parallels the pain of dying. This is particularly pronounced as Francisco struggles to breathe, feeling as if “his lungs should burst.” Despite this pain, Francisco continues to run. As Francisco’s difficulty breathing makes clear that he is dying as he remembers this race, the description of his opponent as a “motionless shadow” calls to mind an embodiment of death itself. Francisco “held onto the shadow,” as if he is aware of his coming death Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debit
12. The Dawn Runner, February 28 Quotes
He was running, and his body cracked open with pain, and he was running on. He was running and there was no reason to run but the running itself and the land and the dawn appearing. […] He saw the slim black bodies of the runners in the distance, gliding away without sound through the slanting light and the rain. […] His legs buckled and he fell in the snow. The rain fell around him in the snow and he saw his broken hands […]. And he got up and ran on. He was alone and running on. […] Pure exhaustion laid hold of his mind, and he could see at last without having to think. He could see the canyon and the mountains and the sky.
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After Francisco’s death, Abel runs into the plains to run the race of the dead, a tradition his grandfather taught him. He honors Francisco by finally embracing the traditions his grandfather valued, after spending the story torn between Jemez traditions and the lifestyles expected in urban America. Abel honors his late grandfather by following in Francisco’s footsteps as a runner. One of Francisco’s passions as a young man was running, which helped him connect with his community and his religion. Caring for the dying Francisco forced Abel to develop into a man mature enough to look after someone else in Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta i
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Running and Races Symbol Timeline in House Made of Dawn
The timeline below shows where the symbol Running and Races appears in House Made of Dawn. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Prologue
...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...
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1. The Longhair, July 20
On the road, Francisco recalls participating in a race meant to ensure good hunting and harvests. He defeated the best runner in the race...
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6. The Longhair, August 1
...that the men have grown less strict about preserving tradition. He thinks about winning a race against its best runner, and about the times he portrayed the bull.
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8. The Priest of the Sun, January 26
...his confused, disjointed thoughts as he takes in his surroundings. He thinks of old men running in white leggings, then of his disconnect from the world around him, then of fish....
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...traveling in the shadows. His pain eventually overcomes him, and he sees Milly and Ben running on a moonlit beach.
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11. The Dawn Runner, February 27
...a fractured mix of Spanish and the native Jemez language. His disjointed speech recalls the race he won as a young man and calls to Abel, Vidal, and Porcingula. Abel wants...
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...in the plain at dawn, where they listen to the sound of hundreds of men running the race of the dead. The fifth memory takes place during a ceremony for the...
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The last memory is of a race. Francisco runs too quickly, trying to match the other men’s pace rather than reserving his...
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12. The Dawn Runner, February 28
...his arm and chest with ashes. As the sun rises, he sees a group of runners in the distance. Behind them, a cloud stands over the black mesa. Abel approaches the...
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