Trail of Lightning

One form of water that has a significant impact on the world of Trail of Lightning is the Big Water. This is the apocalyptic flood that recently wiped out much of North America. This flood represents a rebirth of the world, the transition from the old ways of the Fifth World to the new ways of the Sixth World. This is part of the Diné cyclical nature of worlds, as Coyote explains to Kai. Although the characters of Trail of Lightning are all old enough to have lived in both eras, the Big Flood provides a distinct transition between a period that seems more familiar to readers today and the novel’s era of monsters and mythology. In this sense, water symbolizes life and rebirth. Similarly, the scarcity of water in the Sixth World emphasizes how necessary it is for humans. For example, Kai reports to Maggie that in the Burque, there are water barons who control access to water. As Maggie puts it, “Water is life” (54). Water can also be dangerous, however. Another form of water that often appears in Trail of Lightning is storm water, which sometimes relates to the Big Water.