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
Mr. Vold tells Patrice that she has three days total that she can take off for work. After she explains that she needs to go to the city to look for Vera, Mr. Vold says she can take a weeklong leave of absence without pay. When Patrice asks if she can think on it overnight, he says, “Go right ahead,” and he seems pleased with himself for offering this kind of false generosity. At the end of the workday, Valentine tells Patrice that she can use her sick days. She explains that she talked to Mr. Vold and, under the circumstances, he’ll allow Valentine to let Patrice use her three sick days in addition to her own three days.
Patrice needs to travel to try and find her sister, who has disappeared. Even though Patrice’s trip is dire, potentially a matter of Vera’s life and death, she is still at the mercy of the whims of a man in power. He gets to decide whether Patrice will keep her job or not if she goes. His power, though, is countered through Valentine’s act of solidarity, her gracious offer to let Patrice use her sick days. Notably, Mr. Vold can act exploitatively with little to no regard for the humanity of people who work at the jewel bearing plant and still think of himself as a good person, insulated by the rules and bylaws of bureaucracy, which enable him to avoid looking at his actions honestly.
Themes
Back home, Patrice packs for her trip. She goes to the Relocation Office to find a train schedule and then goes home to get the money she has buried. She’ll get a ride with Doris to the train. “Don’t go disappear on me too,” Zhaanat whispers to Patrice as she leaves.
As Patrice leaves to look for Vera, Zhaanat tells her not to disappear too. The statement carries with it the ache that Zhaanat feels not knowing where Vera is or what has happened to her, and also an acknowledgment of the threat that Patrice could potentially face on her trip, an understanding that the place where she is going might not be safe for her.
Themes
