House Made of Dawn (Masterplots, Revised Second Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: N. Scott Momaday
- First Published: 1968
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Psychological realism
- Time of Work: 1945-1952
- Setting: New Mexico and Los Angeles
- Principal Characters: Abel, Francisco, Ben Benally, Angela, Milly, John Tosamah, Father Olguin, Juan Reyes
- 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 Story:
Abel, a young Jemez Pueblo Indian, returned to his New Mexico village in 1945 after fighting in the Pacific theater during World War II. The war left him emotionally devastated and unable to participate in the world he had left behind, the world of his grandfather, Francisco. Now an old man with a lame leg, Francisco in his youth had been a respected hunter and participant in the village’s religious ceremonies. He had raised Abel from a young age, after the death of Abel’s mother and older brother, Vidal (Abel did not know who his father was). Francisco had...
[The entire page is 1991 words long]
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