House Made of Dawn | Techniques
The novel begins and ends with the traditional Jemez Pueblo words that begin and end a ritual chant or a story. This mythic, timeless quality is not dispelled by Momaday's use of dates and places to mark Abel's linear, seven-year journey. The prologue is actually the end of the story (1952); the narrative then begins in 1945. This disjointed structure circles back on itself, framing the novel which seems to come from Abel's memories.
The novel itself divides into four parts, four being a sacred cultural number. Each part is dominated by a particular character and represents a...
[The entire page is 481 words long]
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