User:Wumbos/The Night Watchman (novel)

Characters
The novel follows two stories from the perspective of Thomas Wazhashk, the Tribal Chairman of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, and Patrice "Pixie" Paranteau as she navigates life as a native american women of the 1950s.

Setting
The Night Watchman is set in the Turtle Mountain band of Chippewa Indians Reservation and the city of Minneapolis in the year 1953 during the time of House Concurrent Resolution 108.

Focus on Animals
Animals and animal intelligence are a recurring subject in The Night Watchman. One example of this is a chapter that is entirely from the perspective of two escaped horses. At another point, Patrice perceives a dog as speaking to her, giving her information on the fate of her sister.

Ambiguous Magic
There are several instances in the book which could possibly be caused by magical or supernatural means, such as the partial facial paralysis of a boy occurring after he sexually assaulted Patrice's mother, Zhanaat. Erdrich leaves the reality of these scenes intentionally ambiguous. When asked why this was, she replied, "So many things happen to us that we immediately explain away, and so I'm just not explaining away what's happening."