Momaday's "House Made of Dawn"
Momaday's "House Made of Dawn" recounts the story of a world war II veteran who is disconnected from his culture and the rest of the world. Abel, who is the main protagonist, returns to his small town in Walatowa and is so drunk to identify his grandfather.
Resentment towards Tanoan culture
Abel resents the Tanoan culture and hence shuns all people who take part in it. He ends up killing an Albino man and is then imprisoned for seven years. After his release from prison, Abel then moves to California and settles among a small community of Indians with the intention of rebuilding his life. Abel encounters a self-proclaimed priest, John Tosamah, who eventually casts him out of the community and he ends up being brutally beaten by a sadistic police officer. The story ends with Abel returning home to his dying grandfather and performing a burial ritual for him. This essay strives to analyze the literal elements such as themes, quotes, motifs, symbols, and character traits of the story "House Made of Dawn."
Expression of Native American culture through stories
One of the central themes in the story is that of the expression of the Native American culture through the use of stories. The Kiowa people in the story are proud of their cultural heritage and hence are conservative in their ways (Bennett 69). Momaday explains that John, the self-proclaimed priest of the sun, used to give sermons about Kiowa's ancient legends as well as the comparison of Kiowa's people language to that of the white people. Through the priest, Momaday further states that unlike the white people who emphasized on getting an education, the Tanoan people were good with words. An example is when John describes his grandmother stating that, "a storyteller, she knew her way around words. She never learned to read or write... (Manning 27)" The Kiowa people placed an emphasis on the use of their word as compared to the white people. Momaday denotes that while the white people used millions of words to express themselves, the Kiowa people used just a few words which had a heavy meaning. Abel, who is the main protagonist in the story, is also quiet most of the time and this explains that he had a connection to his culture even though he strived to alienate himself from it.
Connection to nature
The Kiowa people also had a close connection to nature in the sense that, they took natural events and occurrences seriously. In the story, there is a further description of nature with the words, "The canyon is a ladder to the plain. The valley is pale at the end of July when the corn and melons come of age and slowly the fields are made ready for the yield, and a faint, false air of autumn" (Schirf 16). Francisco is particularly ancient in his ways and is attached to nature just like in the case of his forefathers. When Abel was traveling back home, Francisco was keen to listen to the whining sound that the car tires made which to him were symbolic. In another instance, Francisco denotes that, he heard a "whispering" sound coming from the cornfield a few days before his grandson murdered the Albino. Nature is an integral part of the Kiowa people and their culture and hence they pay a keen interest to it. Furthermore, the Kiowa people believe that nature communicates to them and therefore, failing to listen to its requests or deciphering its hidden messages is often consequential as in the case of Abel killing the albino man.
Culture clash
There is also an aspect of culture clash in the novel as the native Americans are having a difficult time adjusting to the ways of the white people. Abel, for instance, returns home after the second world war and is unable to blend in with his culture as well as the white's culture. Abel further states that in California he meets a group of "misfits" just like himself. Momaday further reinforces this point with the explanation of Abel's queer behavior in the war when there was a confrontation between the natives and the whites. Even the nature of the environment and the landscape in which the natives live and thrive is quite distinct and different from that of the white people. Momaday further denotes that, "The people of the town have little need. They do not hanker after progress and have never changed their essential way of life." It is apparent that the natives have different tastes and preferences when it comes to the quality and way of living in comparison to the white Americans. However, there is also a group of natives such as Abel and the settlers in California such as John the priest and Benally. Abel himself arrives home drunk and is unable to recognize his grandfather which is an indication that he held a little regard for his native culture.
The motif of priests
Momaday uses a strong reference to the motif of priests in her story. To her, the priests symbolize autonomy, authenticity, and resistance to change. Father Olguin and Tosamah have a lot of similarities other than just being priests. Both of these men are conservative in their sermons and hence keep making direct references to the past experiences. The priests are at the core of all the activities that surround the turn of events among the communities of the natives. Hence, for the natives to find a reason and purpose for their existence amidst all the corruption and alienation of the white man's culture, they ought to seek guidance from their priests. Through the life of Abel in Walatowa and Los Angeles, even the women that he meets such as Angela and Milly are all affiliated with the priests in some way. Momaday refers to the priests repetitively with the intentions of reminding the audience that the Native Americans have their own regulations and checks in place to help them from going overboard in the rapidly growing white civilization.
Flashback as a motif
Flashback is also another important motif that Momaday uses in her story. The entire plot of the story according to Scarberry is based on the flashbacks of various characters such as Abel, Francisco, Ben Benally, and John Tosamah. The landscape, as well as the objects, often play a crucial role in helping the characters remember certain events which help shape the overall outcome of the play. An example is when Abel watches an eagle fly and hence remembers the eagle that he caught while in the watcher's society. Abel begins to delve deeper into his flashback to the point where he eventually killed the eagle after feeling remorse for it. The flashback further brings about a sense of guilt and pity in Abel's conscience which further influences his perceptions towards his affiliation to his culture and the culture of the white people. In the first section of the novel, "The Longhair," Francisco passes Seytokwa, a place that brought about vivid images of people running during his younger days (Bennett 69). To Francisco, Seytokwa will always be a sacred place where he got a chance to intermingle with his cultural identity in a raw form. Flashback is used to bridge the gap between the present and the past so as to build upon the plot by making it much more credible.
Symbolism in the novel
The author further uses a lot of symbolism to bring out the plot of the story through incorporating different objects that have a strong correlation to the people's culture. The moon, for instance, forms an integral part of the Kiowa's people culture. The moon has an ominous motive as it leads to the downfall of many things and creatures in the novel. An example is when the smelt fish often threw themselves on the beach and hence making it easier for the fishermen to pick them up (Manning 135). In a different instance, Francisca recalls that the moonlight made the entire community work on their farms all night long. Abel and Vidal while hunting in a different instance also state that they shot one goose because it got distracted by the moonlight (Manning 128). Rain, on the other hand, symbolizes a form of the union that comes in a flash and leaves a melodramatic turn of events. An example is when Abel first makes love to Angela when it is raining. In a different instance in the climax of the novel, Abel kills the Albino when it is raining. Francisca dies hen it is raining which creates a form of symbolism between the rain that the importance of certain events.
Character traits in the story
Momaday also uses the element of character traits to bring an overall effect to the narration of the play. Although much details on Abel's past is withheld, the author lets it be known that he is fearless as well as reckless. The recklessness emanated from the feeling of discontentment that he has from his culture and the rejection that he received from the white civilization. Throughout the story, Abel changes from time to time as he is initially quiet and bitter from the alienation and lack of connection that he had to either side. However, at the end of the story, he is much more connected to his culture after encountering the death of his grandfather (Bennett 71). Francisco, on the other hand, is described as conservative who sees to it that his culture and lineage continue despite the resentment of his grandson. Through Francisco, the readers get a connection between the present and the past while at the same time get a sharp contrast. Francisco, however, struggles with loneliness in most parts of the novel due to the careless actions of his estranged grandson.
Stylistic elements in "House Made of Dawn"
In the "House Made of Dawn," Momaday uses a diversity of stylistic elements such as quotes, motifs, symbols, themes, and character traits to build on the plot of the story. Each literal element acts independently to bring about a certain desired concept that further highlights the thoughts of the author. The richness in stylistic elements further helps build on the credibility and authenticity of the storyline which takes different turns from time to time. The author, however, maintains the use of certain important themes such as that of the difference in culture between the Kiowa and the white people. Motifs and symbols further reinforce and create a form of emphasis on the author's key points and expressions. The element of character traits forms the support system of the essay which revolves around the characters and their different interaction patterns.
Work cited
Bennett John. House Made of Dawn by N. Scott Momaday (review). 1970. Volume 5, Number 1, p. 69 | 10.1353/wal.1970.0051
Manning Chelsea. Review of “House Made of Dawn” by Momaday N. Scott. 2014. Accessed 5th May 2018 from https://chelseabmanning.wordpress.com/2014/05/30/review-of-house-made-of-dawn-by-n-scott-momaday/
Scarberry-Garcia Susan. Land Marks of Healing: A Study of House Made of Dawn. Retrieved 5th May 2018 from https://doi.org/10.1525/aa.1992.94.1.02a00590.
Schirf Diane. Book review: House Made of Dawn. 2011. Retrieved 5th
May 2018 from http://www.slywy.com/house-made-of-dawn/
