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Affirmative and pessimistic interpretation of House made of dawn

A novel as Buildugroman

1. Examine the life of abel and the light of this definition we find enough justification to call “House made of Dawn as Buildugroman

Key fact about Abel life

1. Abel almost orphan matures though his travels.
2. His exposure of White world and his participation in world war II
3. Learns thought the encounter of Martinez and Albino
4. Involvement with Angela also shapes his growth.
5. Observation and participation in ritual events of community
6. Direct teaching by his grand Father Fransisco and his recall for his significant history of his community
7. What ever doubts and dissatisfaction troubled Abel at the beginning are clear he is reborn.

 

Characters with inimical attitude toward Abel

• There are three characters, which inimical attitude towards Abel one of them was is John Tosamah, the Kiowa “Priest of sun, Who drives Abel to drink
• Major Rival :- The second major rival is Albino. The Albino is successful in chicken pull game and Abel fails. The Albino pursues Abel, pins him to wall and flails him with roaster, thus humiliating and injuring him

Mamaday Affirmation

1. Critics like Harold S.MC. Allister and Lowerence J. Evers given positive interpretation of Novel and explain the ending as spiritual renewal and cultural rejuvenation of novel, not only for Abel, but his tribe as a whole.

Pessimism

• Presented by Charles R. Larson
• Essay Rejection of Reluctant Return

Comments 

Circular Image

• The structure is circular and circle encloses as trap.
• The Indian cultures are trapped or surrounded in helpless way by the Anglo – American society. A Circular journey which undertakes is a Journey to nowhere.

Obscurity :- Obscurity as major problem in understanding the meaning in the novel.

• Ex Ambiguity in the age, parentage and racial origin of Albino ? Is he a white man or Indian, why he was called “White man”
• There are may question which are not answer in the novel
• Francisco tell his grandson point the dawn runner that they are dead runner. After grandfather’s funeral Abel runs the ceremonial race. Larson interperates this race towards death.
• Larsen is quite clear in mind that overall picture of American Indians which emerges from a study of House made of Dawn is one of Pessimism. The future has nothing to offer the pas can recaptured in fleeting moments only.
• The people who are denied a future are all but doomed the Indians are vanishing breed not a rejuvenated breed.

Abel was already trapped

• On the reservation, he is associated with caged eagle.
• Outside the reservation he is likened to fish out of water
• He physically wounded by Martinez and feels a spiritual void in his life. He becomes Zombie, a spiritual void in his life. He become Zombie, a dull stupid, unattractive person. So he is practically dead in body and mind, of course, Abel returns home completing the circular Journey. Burt Larson , Says Abel return to die he has no choice.

Theme pursued in American Indian Literature

1. Native American Literature include hieroglyphic and pictographic writing of Middle America
2. Extensive set of Folk Tales, myths and oral histories. 

Transmission of Oral Literature

1. Transmitted by the storytellers threw out to centuries and live in the contemporary American Indian Writers

Beliefs

1. Want to live in harmony with physical and spiritual universe.
2. In their understanding, Breath, speech and verbal art are closely related
3. They believe in symbolic power of the word can change the world worse or better.
4. Silenced is described as sanctuary of sound.

Characteristic & Symbols

1. Folk tales are the part of the social and cultural life of American Indian.
2. They belief that one can be transported to the other world by the art of storytelling, depends on the imaginative skills of narrator.
3. Repetition of incidents in the story telling. The number of repetition usually corresponded to the number associated with the culture. Ex Christian tradition, the sacred number is most often counted in threes (the Trinity). In Native American the sacred number is most often associated with Four, Cardinal Direction

Symbols

1. The cycle is another recurring symbol in native literature
2. Symbolize sun and earth.
3. Circle is important in ceremonies and dance other view is that , the hero or heroines who have left the tribe come back after many trails and adventure thus completing a circular journey.

Other Characteristics

1. Strong fellow feeing and helpfulness
2. Age and experience are respected and valued
3. Some characteristics are specific to certain tribes. Ex Hopis Stress hard work, nomads stress movement.
4. American literature reflects the mythology and past histories as well also experience of the present
5. The oral literature are held sacred by the tribes and outsiders are not allowed access to them.