House Made of Dawn (Cyclopedia of Literary Characters)
At a glance:
- Author: N. Scott Momaday
- First Published: 1968
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Psychological realism
- Time of Work: July 20-August 2, 1945; January 26-February 28, 1952
- Setting: New Mexico and Los Angeles, California
- Genres: Long fiction, Psychological fiction, Bildungsroman, Impressionistic literature, Mystery and detective literature
- Subjects: 1950’s, Maturation or coming of age, Culture, North America or North Americans, Self-discovery, United States or Americans, Tradition, Love or romance, Race, Crime or criminals, Murder or homicide, 1940’s, Friendship, Hope, California, Los Angeles, West, U.S., Spiritual life or spirituality, Alcoholism or alcoholics, Substance abuse, Native Americans or American Indians, Ethnic relations, Veterans, Mysteries, Drugs, Southwest, Priests
- Locales: Los Angeles, CA, New Mexico
Characters Discussed
Abel (ah-BEHL), a World War II veteran who returns to Wolatowa, his native pueblo, in 1945. Thick- chested and stocky, but also agile and athletic, he was orphaned at the age of five, when his mother died, and has been reared by his grandfather, Francisco. Reserved and stoic in his dealings with others, he is out of harmony with the rich traditional life of Wolatowa, in part because of painful memories of childhood but also because of his traumatic war experiences. Sentenced to prison for killing an albino from his village whom he thought was a witch, he is...
[The entire page is 951 words long]
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