House Made of Dawn

The narrative switches to the first-person perspective of Ben Benally. He narrates in a fluid, flowing internal monologue while drinking wine and allowing his mind to wander. He begins with the story of Abel’s departure. Abel is Ben’s roommate, and he leaves the apartment they share carrying only “a sack and a suitcase” (79). Ben accompanies Abel to the train station; Abel is badly injured after waking up on a beach with his hands broken and his body beaten. After leaving Abel at the station, Ben walks home through the rain. He describes the city at night, and the sights and smells trigger memories. He remembers the time he spent with Abel, and his childhood growing up on a reservation. As he walks, he worries that people on the train won’t help the injured Abel. Even in the crowded city, Ben feels lonely.

Ben eats at The Silver Dollar, the type of bar favored across the city by the Indigenous American population. Sometimes at The Silver Dollar, Ben sees a corrupt, easily angered police officer named Martinez. The officer—like the albino man whom Abel killed—is often referred to as a “culebra,” Spanish for snake.