User:QTpie35/The Night Watchman

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Author	Louise Erdrich
Country	United States
Language	English
Subject	Ojibwe Family Life in Minnesota and North Dakota
Genre	Contemporary Native American Fiction Historical Fiction
Publisher	HarperCollins
Publication date	2020
Media type	Hardcover & Paperback
Pages	464 pages
ISBN	9780062671196 (paperback)

The Night Watchman (novel)

The Night Watchman is a novel by Louise Erdrich first published on March 3, 2020 by HarperCollins. The novel is set in the 1950s. This is Erdrich's 6th standalone novel following Future Home of the Living God.[The novel was inspired by the life of Erdrich's grandfather who motivated and inspired other members of the Turtle Mountain Reservation to resistance the Indian termination policies of the 1940s-1960s]. The Night Watchman is the first novel that Erdrich has written that is set on the Turtle Mountain Reservation.

[In the letters written by her grandfather detailing his resistance against termination bills meant to assimilate Ojibwe people into broader American society through a variety of means, including the end of federal recognition of the sovereignty of indigenous tribes. Erdrich has referred to the letters as "[...] beautiful, full of humor and storytelling."

This historical fiction provides detailed descriptions of surroundings and relationships between characters. It is written in third person and follows a number of characters, and in some instances, animals. ]

Plot Summary

Thomas Wazhashk, a night watchman at a jewel bearing plant and an Ojibwe Councilor, works to comprehend the consequences of a new termination bill drafted by Arthur Vivian Watkins heading to the floor of the United States Congress. In 1953, Thomas and other Ojibwe people begin to fear the implications of this bill. As Thomas tries to save his tribe from termination, his niece Patrice embarks on a journey to Minneapolis in order to find her sister, Vera. Patrice Paranteau, a young Ojibwe woman and a former high school valedictorian, balances the demands of both modern and traditional life. She works at the jewel bearing plant and earns just enough to help her mother Zhanaat and her brother Pokey. Patrice's alcoholic father comes home sporadically to threaten her family for cash. Patrice uses her saved money to look for her sister Vera, who vanished after moving to Minneapolis with her husband. During her journey, Patrice encounters abuse and danger. The lives of the young Ojibwe boxer, Wood Mountain and his mother, Juggie Blue intersect with those of many others living on the reservation as they each make the best out of their respective circumstances.

Characters

Thomas Wazhashk

A community leader and a member of the tribal council for the Turtle Mountain Band. His second job is being the night watchman at a jewel bearing plant. Along with his coworker LaBatte, he witnessed the death of their friend Roderick while they were all attending Boarding School as young boys.[He becomes politically involved when he reads the Indian Termination Bill and begins to organize against it. Wazhask translates to “muskrat” in Ojibwe and is pronounced Wa-shush-k. ]

Patrice "Pixie" Paranteau

A nineteen-year-old Ojibwe woman living on the Turtle Mountain Reservation. She becomes the source of financial support for her family from her job at the jewel bearing plant. Though often called by the nickname “Pixie,” she prefers to be called Patrice. She is extremely close with her mother and feels a duty to provide for her family.[She ventures to the city and takes up a job performing at a bar while pursuing various leads towards her sister's whereabouts.]

Lloyd Barnes

A local math teacher of the reservation school. He is referred to as “Hay Stack” by members of the community because of his blonde hair. It is well known among the community that he desires a romantic relationship with Patrice Paranteau.

Wood Mountain

A young boxer under the tutelage of Lloyd Barnes and son of Juggie Blue. He has a crush on Patrice, but he focuses on helping Patrice find her missing sister Vera. He does not pursue Patrice in the same way Barnes does. He fights against Joe Wobleszynski at the Battle Royale to raise money for Thomas and the other members of the community council to travel to Washington D.C.

Millie Cloud

The daughter of Louis Pipestone and half-sister of Grace Pipestone. Millie is a college student studying Economics at the University of Minnesota. She later changes her major to Anthropology after spending time around her family and other Turtle Mountain Ojibwe. She becomes involved in the resistance effort against the passing of House Concurrent Resolution 108 bill when asked by Thomas Wazhashk and her father to present her research findings on the Turtle Mountain Reservation’s resources in court.

Arthur V. Watkins

A Republican senator from Utah. Erdrich’s fictional version of Arthur V. Watkins’ is heavily based on the real person.

[Semi-Fiction]

[Aspects of this fictional novel are inspired by historical events. The jewel-bearing plant is based on a real factory in Turtle Mountain where mostly women were employed. While the attempt in 1955 to unionize failed, the workers succeeded in their demand for higher pay and better working conditions.

The fictional dialog written in the book about Turtle Mountain’s testimony to Congress closely follows the real transcripts of the testimony given there.]

Public and Critical Reception

The Night Watchman was released to critical acclaim. The novel won the 2021 Pulitzer Prize in fiction. Luis Alberto Urrea of The New York Times claims "In this era of modern termination assailing us, the book feels like a call to arms. A call to humanity ["... a magisterial epic that brings [Erdrich's] power of witness to every page." Love, rage, political resistance, and courage saturate the lives of the memorable characters in The Night Watchmen.] Ron Charles of The Washington Post says that Erdrich "rediscovers her genius" with this novel. A review for USA Today praised the relatability of the novel. The Boston Globe recognizes faults some may find with the novel, but ultimately views it as among "...the best of her remarkable fiction." Other critics have noted the beauty of the "family feeling" of the novel, the endurance of the characters, and called Erdrich a "master storyteller."

The gradual way that the poverty of certain characters in the novel has also received praise with Erdrich remarking on the ways this mirrored real life. Erdrich has also addressed in interviews the importance of Patrice's role in the novel and how she functions as a second protagonist, claiming that her daughter even made a separate cover for the novel with the title Pixie. While this novel is set in the past, Erdrich comments on the issues that still persist within Indigenous communities today, stating "It’s true that the policies that start with dispossession do not stop there."

Honors

[The novel won the 2021 Pulitzer Prize. The committee awarding the prize referred to the novel as "[...] a majestic, polyphonic novel about a community’s efforts to halt the proposed displacement and elimination of several Native American tribes in the 1950s, rendered with dexterity and imagination."]