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Foreshadowing
4. The Longhair, July 25
Explanation and Analysis—Embedded Stories:
Every so often in the novel, the main story about Abel becomes a frame story. One example of this motif occurs in Chapter 4, when Father Olguin tells the story of the saint Santiago sacrificing a rooster:
Santiago tore the [rooster] apart with his bare hands and scattered the remains all about on the ground. The blood and feathers of the bird became cultivated plants and domestic animals, enough for all the Pueblo people.
As an aside, this story establishes why the Feast of Santiago revolves around a rooster. Contestants ride past a rooster that is buried in the ground, attempting to grab it. The winner (in this case Juan Reyes Fragua) picks another contestant to beat with the rooster until the bird dies. The story Father Olguin tells illuminates a difficult chasm between the ritual's intended purpose and the way it actually plays out. The sacrifice is supposed to renew crops and livestock, reaffirming the Pueblo's sense of abundance. While what happens between Fragua and Abel may satisfy this purpose for some of the onlookers, the violent encounter is also inflected with racial resentment and trauma that are not part of the original story. By including the story of Santiago, Momaday gives the reader a glimpse not only of the contest's religious significance, but also of the difficulty characters like Abel and Fragua face when they try to carry out traditions and ceremonies within the complex context of the modern colonial world.
Other instances where the main narrative frames other stories also draw attention to the fraught nature of religion, ceremony, and tradition in a colonial world. Fray Nicolás's journal takes up a large section of this chapter. The journal tells of Francisco's upbringing, Fragua's birth, and Nicolás's attempts to promote Christian beliefs among the Pueblo people. His account of his own abusive behavior toward Francisco and others who remain in Abel's life helps the reader see how Christianity has been both foundational and deeply harmful in this community. Even the story of Santiago blends Christianity with more traditional Pueblo beliefs, making it difficult for someone in Abel's position to untangle his cultural identity from his own oppression and generational trauma.
Tosamah, Ben Benally, Milly, and Francisco all share extended stories with the reader within the frame of the main narrative. As these stories add up, it becomes more and more clear that Abel's story—the way he comes to terms with his cultural identity—cannot be told without an array of others' stories. He needs to see all the parts of himself reflected in the other characters and their experiences. Perhaps even more significantly, Abel's story becomes a frame that allows other characters' stories to emerge and intersect in meaningful ways. Within Abel's story, the white woman Milly's family history of poverty can be linked to their poor understanding and appreciation for the land. Tosamah's grief over his grandmother can be linked to false narratives he has internalized about the inevitable disappearance of American Indians. Francisco's abuse at Fray Nicolás's hands becomes just that: abuse Francisco and future generations have the chance to heal from, not discipline directing them toward a future where they must assimilate.
Related Themes:
