Student Question
In Dance Hall of the Dead, what is Dr. Reynolds's life priority?
Quick answer:
In "Dance Hall of the Dead," Dr. Chester Reynolds prioritizes proving his controversial theory about the early origins of the Folsom culture in the US Southwest. As an anthropologist and archaeologist, he becomes obsessed with gaining recognition for his ideas. His fixation leads him to unethical actions, such as "seeding" archaeological sites with artifacts and even committing murder to eliminate obstacles to his academic ambitions.
In Tony Hillerman’s novel, Chester Reynolds has a doctorate in anthropology; his primary academic field is archaeology. As a specialist in ancient Native American culture, he is dedicated to promoting the importance of Folsom, a culture that he believes originated much earlier than other scholars have yet determined and then maintained a continuous presence in the US Southwest.
Unfortunately, he is so obsessed with proving this idea that he completely loses his perspective. Reynolds will stop at nothing to gain recognition for his expertise in this area. Among his transgressions are placing artifacts obtained elsewhere in the sites that his people are digging—a practice called “seeding”—so that the archaeologists who find them will believe his theory. Even worse, he kills people who stand in his way.
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