The Water Knife

In the novel, water equates to money and power, and people are willing to kill for it because it has become such a precious resource, especially in the desert. Much of the novel’s action centers on characters’ access to water. We also see the physicality of water in the form of the Colorado River carving through the desert, and the rushing water taking out everything in its path when the Blue Mesa Dam is destroyed. People in the novel don’t understand how much they rely on water until it’s not coming out of their faucets anymore. Angel describes how people like the residents of Carver City hold out hope that they can make it without water after it’s been cut: “But it takes time for people to get a grip on how screwed they are. Relief agencies come in, so they hang on a little longer on buckets and Red Cross pumps and dipping Clearsacs into the river on their own” (353-354). Maria, on the other hand, notes how well suited the Vet’s hyenas are to the desert in contrast to humans: “This is their world, Maria realized. […] We are not like you, sister. We don’t need water. We need blood alone” (132).