HOUSE OF DAWN: DISCUSSION THREE!

Discussion 3 for HMOD

Samantha Kin, Shilo Foppes, Dulcinea Lord

• Did you prefer Ben's narration to Abel's?
• After reading the book would you like to watch the movie to see how it compares?
•  How does Francisco's death tie in with the importance of words and storytelling?
•  Do we think Abel's life got better/will get better?
•  Can we connect any characters/concepts with other texts we've read this semester?
•  What is the symbolism of dawn?

Quotes

[...] House made of male rain, House made of dark mist, House made of female rain [...] 

• Why do you think that the rain is called both female and male?

"In the only way possible, perhaps, [Father Olguin] had come to terms with the town, and that, after all, had been his aim. To be sure, there was the matter of some old and final cleavage, of certain exclusion, the whole and subtle politics of estrangement, but that was easily put aside, and only now and then was it borne by a cold and sudden gust among his ordinary thoughts."  - p. 170

• What does this say about the theme of being an outsider?

Characters

Mesa and Larry Littlebird - House Of Dawn film, photograph by Peter Morse © 1970

• Do you think that Franciso impacted Abel's life more, less or equal to Ben?
• Do you think that Abel will ever return to sing House of Dawn with Ben?

Additional Questions

• After reading The Night Chanter, do you think that House Made Of Dawn is an appropriate title for the book and why?
• Do you think that Abel feels fully re-connected to the Walatowa by the end of the book?
• While the ending points out the importance of the House of Dawn song as the title of the other book do you believe that there is another title that could have been used of equal or more importance?

Running!

• Thoughts on the book coming full circle with the running?
• Abel is running until he cannot feel pain anymore. Do you think this is means he has died?
• If this run is running to be with spirits do you thinks a possible outcome he has died and is running to Franciso?

Pulitzer Prize (Pulitzer website)

For distinguished fiction published in book form during the year by an American author, preferably dealing with American life, Ten thousand dollars ($10,000).

• After finishing House Made Of Dawn do you believe it was worthy of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction?