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
Barnes feels anger rising in him, wondering how he’ll deal with Wood Mountain’s betrayal. After all the training he’s given Wood Mountain, how could he go and pursue Patrice, who Wood Mountain knew Barnes liked? Later, while teaching algebra, Barnes constructs an equation in his mind, trying to gauge his romantic chances with Patrice by totaling up how good-looking and pleasant Wood Mountain is versus himself. After boxing practice, Wood Mountain goes with Pokey back to Pokey’s house to see Patrice, or the baby, or both, but when he gets there, Patrice is asleep.
Barnes is consumed by a kind of jealous anger, bordering on rage. He feels this jealousy, which has a tinge of threat to it, without any apparent regard as to whether Patrice reciprocates his feelings (she doesn’t) or consideration of what might be best for Patrice in the given situation.
Themes
Barnes drives Wade home and talks with Thomas about the meeting and the bill. Barnes says he doesn’t see why it seems so bad and that it seems like they’ll have the chance to be “regular Americans.” Thomas tries to explain to Barnes the difference between Native people and people of European descent in the U.S. He asks Barnes what he would think if Native people had landed in Europe, killed almost everyone, taken their land, then made everyone take on their culture and language. Barnes says he wouldn’t like that at all. He then asks if he married a Native woman, could he be Native? Thomas says no, but they could like him anyway.
Thomas explains to Barnes, in the simplest terms he can find, why the genocide of Native people, followed by the continued persecution of Native people by the U.S. government, is wrong. Even Barnes seems to understand the point he’s making.
Themes
