In 1969 the rather unknown Native American author N. Scott Momaday won the Pulitzer Price for fiction with his first novel House Made of Dawn. Until that time Native American fiction was quite unpopular; but Momaday’s’ novel certainly evoked the interest of the western audience. He was able to explore many important issues and conflicts the Native American community had to face in the twentieth century and – what was even more important – developed a narrative strategy to convey these issues to a bigger and, above all, multicultural audience.
As Momaday covers so many themes in his novel, I decided to focus on the role of the landscape with its mythology and its powers. As it shows, the landscape plays an important role in this novel as well as in Native American beliefs.
Table of Contents
Introduction
1.1 N. Scott Momaday – Biography
1.2 House Made of Dawn – Summary
Exploring the Novel
2.1 House Made of Dawn – Structure
2.1.1 Numbers
2.1.2 Elements of Oral tradition
Landscape and Mythology
2.3 Landscape
2.4 Snake and Eagle Motif
2.5 The Dawn Runner
Conclusion
Objectives and Core Topics
This paper examines the central role of landscape and its associated mythology in N. Scott Momaday’s novel "House Made of Dawn," exploring how the protagonist's relationship with the environment reflects his path toward spiritual healing and identity restoration.
- Biographical influence of N. Scott Momaday on his literary work.
- Structural analysis of the novel’s non-chronological, circular narrative.
- The significance of numerical symbolism and oral tradition in Native American storytelling.
- Landscape as a sentient character and a source of healing power.
- The symbolic dichotomy of the eagle and snake motifs regarding land and identity.
Excerpt from the Book
3.1 Landscape
The landscape is treated in House Made of Dawn in a special way. Robert M. Nelson states that landscape “functions not only as “setting”, but also as “character” [:]”
Momaday is doing much more here than providing the conventional element of “setting” for his novel: the landscape, as it is described, has a life of its own that precedes and also contextualizes the other, secondary forms of life, including human lives, that have learned to coexist within the nature of this place over the centuries.
Before Abel is introduced to the reader in the prologue, the landscape in which he is running is being described. The landscape even seems to be superior to humans, because “he [Abel] could not see the town” but has to follow the direction of the road which “curved out in front of him and rose away in the distance”. But the landscape does not only lead Abel towards a certain direction, it absorbs Abel: “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”.
Summary of Chapters
Introduction: Provides a biographical overview of N. Scott Momaday and a thematic summary of the novel's four-part structure.
Exploring the Novel: Analyzes the complex structure of the book, focusing on chronological framing, numerical symbolism, and the integration of oral tradition elements.
Landscape and Mythology: Examines the landscape as an active, superior force in the novel and interprets the eagle and snake motifs as representations of Abel’s struggle for identity.
Conclusion: Synthesizes the finding that landscape acts as a central motif and demonstrates how Momaday successfully bridges traditional Native American themes with Western literary structures.
Keywords
N. Scott Momaday, House Made of Dawn, Native American Literature, Landscape, Mythology, Oral Tradition, Abel, Symbolic Narrative, Identity, Spirituality, Eagle Motif, Snake Motif, Structuralism, Pueblo Culture, Healing.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this paper?
The paper examines the central role of landscape, its mythology, and its powers within N. Scott Momaday’s novel "House Made of Dawn."
What are the central thematic fields discussed?
The analysis covers the significance of oral traditions, the structure of the novel, and the relationship between human identity and the natural environment.
What is the main research question or goal?
The goal is to demonstrate how the landscape functions not merely as a background setting, but as a "character" that drives the protagonist’s spiritual journey.
Which scientific methodology is applied?
The author uses literary and cultural analysis to interpret symbolic motifs and structural elements, supported by secondary academic literature on Native American fiction.
What is covered in the main body of the work?
The main body explores the biography of Momaday, the narrative structure (including numbers and oral tradition), and the specific symbolism of the landscape, eagle, and snake.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
Key terms include "House Made of Dawn," "Native American Literature," "Landscape," "Mythology," "Oral Tradition," and "Symbolic Narrative."
Why does the author interpret the novel's structure as circular?
The structure is considered circular because the novel begins and ends with the protagonist, Abel, running, effectively cycling back to his point of origin.
How do the eagle and snake motifs relate to Abel's development?
The eagle represents the human capacity to hold the land, while the snake represents the land's hold on the human; Abel's healing depends on accepting both as parts of his identity.
- Quote paper
- Lisa Giesecke (Author), 2006, Landscape and mythology in M. Scott Momady´s 'House Made of Dawn', Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/78260
