Abel’s Identity Crisis and his Journey to his Native Self in ‘House Made of Dawn’: A Critical Analysis Perspective

• Main Author: Irem Seklem
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Lasting Impressions Press 2014-03-01
• Series: International Journal of English Language and Translation Studies
• Subjects: Native American heritage; Momaday’s novels; Identity crisis; Abel’s journey; Native Self
• Online Access: http://www.eltsjournal.org/pdf_files/Abel's%20Identity%20Crisis%20and%20his%20Journey%20to%20his%20Native%20Self%20%20in%20'House%20Made%20of%20Dawn-A%20Critical%20Analysis%20Perspective.pdf
• ISSN: 2308-5460; 2308-5460

The present paper investigates how Abel, the protagonist of House Made of Dawn, strives to establish a bond between his Native American heritage and himself. His troubles throughout his journey to belong to his culture have been depicted in the paper. The paper also discusses his failure to accommodate himself with his own culture as well as with modern life. His alcohol problem and communication problems, both with his grandfather and also with white men around him, have been shown as part of his entanglements. Attempt has also been made to investigate the transformations through which Abel is going in his journey to his native self and to his native cultural identity. Exploring the major crossroads in his life’s struggle, and the sufferings through which Abel goes, the paper depicts how Abel rests and accommodates with his native cuture after the death of his grandfather. As the novel portrays, very skillfully, the identity crisis of a Native American, the paper aims at exploring this search for identity and the struggles through which the protagonist of the novel passes in this crisis.