House Made of Dawn

My favorite scene in House Made of Dawn was when Abel performed the burial ceremony for Francisco and then was able to run. This whole quarter we have seen characters and authors trying to reclaim their indigenous identities in the face of western culture and for the first time we see someone run away from it. Abel killed the eagle before it could be used for ceremony, didn't understand the tribal customs or language, killed the white man, slept with white women and went away to war to only become lost in alcohol and western culture. It was so satisfying to see him take the first step towards a better life and embrace his culture through the burial ceremony. It's sad that this change of events for Abel came too late for Francisco to really enjoy but I think that realistic sadness is what makes the novel so compelling. Abel went from running away from life figuratively (in the form of alcohol) to running towards a new life. The novel was hard to start, but the end was satisfying and I enjoyed the read.