House Made of Dawn (Magill’s Choice: American Ethnic Writers)
At a glance:
- Author: N. Scott Momaday
- First Published: 1968
- 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
The Work
House Made of Dawn, N. Scott Momaday’s first novel, is the story of an outcast who learns that his being is bound up in his culture. The novel, which relates the experiences of a mixed-race World War II veteran, was a signal achievement, winning the Pulitzer Prize in fiction for Momaday in 1969 and paving a way for other Native American novelists.
It begins with Abel’s return to his ancestral village. Although he is so drunk that he does not recognize his grandfather, Abel’s troubles run much deeper. He feels cut off from the Tanoan tribe yet...
[The entire page is 753 words long]
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