The Night Watchman

The Night Watchman

by

Louise Erdrich

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on The Night Watchman makes teaching easy.

The Night Watchman: The Runner Summary & Analysis

Summary
Analysis
On his way back from work, Thomas sees a boy running alongside his car, even as he speeds up to 30, 40, 50. Of course the boy is Roderick, he thinks. When Thomas tells Rose, she says she’ll come with him to work that night. At work, they share a cup of coffee. Thomas falls asleep and then sees Roderick sitting beside the motor, where Rose can’t see him. Roderick worked in the bakery, a job which was the only thing he cared about, until he was caught stealing dough. After that, he didn’t care about anything, and he ran away, again and again. That’s how he ended up in the cellar, where he got so cold. But in the morning, he always woke up as a ghost.
This section gives more insight into Roderick’s story, showing that even though he deeply cared about his job in the bakery, he was driven to steal food because he didn’t have anything to eat. Similar to how Patrice knew that if the bosses at the jewel plant found out about her issues with her eyes, they would fire her, instead of offering Roderick food, the authorities punished him, and those punishments ultimately led to him contracting the tuberculosis he died from.
Themes
Power, Solidarity, and Community Action Theme Icon
Oppression and Supposed Good Intentions Theme Icon
Agency and Exploitation Theme Icon