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: Two-Day Journey Summary & Analysis

Summary
Analysis
Vera finds herself walking and thinks she’s on the journey to the next life. As she sees signs—Highway 2, Firewood For Sale—she begins to suspect that she’s still alive. But she’d been dead when she’d been alive, she thinks. She’s sure of that.
Vera becomes aware of her surroundings again, but she also knows that she had been dead while she had been alive, meaning that what had happened to her had destroyed her spirit, that even though scientifically she might have been alive, her soul had effectively died.
Themes
Sex, Violence, and Gender Theme Icon
Agency and Exploitation Theme Icon
Quotes