Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Night Watchman, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Power, Solidarity, and Community Action
Oppression and Supposed Good Intentions
Humor and Pain
Sex, Violence, and Gender
Agency and Exploitation
Summary
Analysis
Louis Pipestone, who has racing horses, drives to Zhaanat’s house, where he plans to get her to sign the petition against the Termination Bill. Pokey is too young to sign, but he listens to what Louis says, and then helps his mother sign. Louis leaves and gets a remarkable number of signatures before going to Thomas’s house, where they talk more about how to counter the bill.
Louis Pipestone is in charge of circulating the petition, which helps garner support for the effort to oppose the Termination Bill and also helps in simply spreading awareness. The petition—a collection of signatures—is also a perfect symbol to show that the effort doesn’t involve just Thomas, or just the advisory committee, but the entire community.
Themes
