House+Made+of+Dawn

House Made of Dawn by N. Scott Momaday is about a young boy named Abel, who returns to his reservation in New Mexico after fighting in World War II. The war has left him emotionally devastated and he must figure out how to assimilate back into his culture, as well as the mainstream White culture.

Abel: The protagonist, a young Native American man. He grew up in Walatowa, New Mexico, under the care of his grandfather. Abel, who has just returned home from the war, is also reserved, not talking to others unless necessary, and is slow to open up to others by nature. He is drunk throughout most of the story, a result, perhaps, of the war. Like many others around him in Walatowa, he feels a strong connection to the landscape around him and his spiritual upbringing is firmly grounded in a relationship with the outdoors. Francisco: Abel's grandfather, who affectionately calls Abel "Abelito". Francisco was a farmer and he remembers how different life for the Indians in the area in 1945 is from how life used to be years ago in his youth. As one of the elders, he participates in gatherings of elders in kivas during important events such as feasts. He raised Abel and his brother, Vidal, the way his ancestors raised him by telling them the stories of his tribe and the stories of the land around Walatowa. Father Olguin: The priest at the mission in Walatowa. Originally from Mexico, he is small and has gray hair and is missing one eye. He is thoughtful of his position as a role model for many peple, and he has an interest in his predecessors at the mission. Angela St. John: A pale, brunette woman who has recently married and arrives at the Benevides house in Walatowa for rest and relaxation. By Abel's standards, Angela is impatient and from her perspective, Abel is too quiet. This causes her significant irritation. Abel and Angela end up having a love affair after Abel is hired by Father Olguin to chop wood for her at the Benevides house. Ben Benally: A Navajo who is from an area called "The Wild Ruins" but now lives in Los Angeles. Ben meets Abel on the job at a factory and believes he's somehow related to Abel. Ben does his best to help Abel adjust to city life in Los Angeles. The novel's third section, "The Night Chanter", is primarily written from Ben's point of view. Ben seems like a practical man who is aware of his Native American heritage but does well adjusting to modern American lifestyle. Milly: The only daughter of a farmer in Oklahoma who has come to Los Angeles for an education. Milly has blonde hair, a plain face, and a constant laugh. She is the social worker assigned to work Abel's case after he gets arrested for killing a man back in New Mexico. Milly and Abel eventually become lovers and she nurtures him even when he loses his job and starts drinking heavily. John "Big Bluff" Tosamah: One of the two priests in the book. He is called "The Priest of the Sun." He is described as "shaggy" and "awful looking" with narrow eyes and a look of agony and arrogance. He runs the Pan-Indian rescue mission in Los Angeles.
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Works Cited: Momaday, N. Scott. __House Made Of Dawn.__ New York, Harper & Collins. 1968.