N. Scott Momaday's House Made of Dawn

The story of Abel is a compelling and troubling account, although it seems to end with hope. The book begins with Abel running, but there is a clear suggestion that he is unhappy and lost: "Abel was running. Against the winter sky and the long, light landscape of the valley at dawn, he seemed almost to be standing still, very little and alone" (2). This is a quick portrait of a young man who does not know his place in the world, stuck between two worlds, and overwhelmed by internal and external conflicts which seem beyond his control.

However, again, the book ends of a note of clear hope, when we find Abel running once again:

He was alone and running on. . . . He was running, and under his breath he began to sing. There was no sound, and he had no voice; he had only the words of a song. And he went running on the rise of the song. House made of Pollen, house made of dawn (212).

The "song," of course, is the song of his self, of his individual identity, which he has finally begun to discover and to carve out of the cultural conflicts in which he lives.

. . .
and collision, time always immediate and confused, that he could not put together in his mind (23). Not only does the young man have to battle with the two conflicting cultures, he must deal also with the experiences and memories of his service in the Korean War. Even Momaday's writing about Abel's wartime experiences, however, are told in the same lyrical, even mythical style which gives the reader the sense that every detail of life carries with it an almost mystical power and significance. Consider, for example, this description of the aftermath of one battle: He awoke on the side of a wooded hill. It was afternoon and there were bright, slanting shafts of light on all sides; the ground was covered with damp, matted leaves. He didn't know where he was, and he was alone. No, there were men about, the bodies of men; he could barely see them strewn among the pits, their limbs sprawling away into the litter of leaves, and leaves were falling in the shafts of light (23-24). Momaday makes his book fascinating and layered with meaning by using various points of view, from Abel to the woman he cuts wood for, to the priest. By using such a technique, he allows us to see the conflicting forces at work in Abel's life, each character w
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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1649
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page)