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The story’s emphasis on running and races, specifically the “race of the dead,” represents both Francisco and Abel’s connection to Walatowa and their community. Francisco is deeply connected to the community of Walatowa, and as a young man he often engaged in traditional community-wide footraces that strengthened his bond to the town. Francisco is introduced to the reader remembering his victory in a race that earned him a good hunt that year. Running is a tradition with spiritual and community-building significance, and Francisco’s lifelong commitment to running demonstrates his unwavering connection to Walatowa.
Abel, on the other hand, feels detached from his community, and as such he does not run until he’s an adult. Only when Francisco dies is Abel compelled to run, as he sees people running the race of the dead and decides to join them. Although Abel sees other runners when he decides to race, he quickly finds himself alone, and continues running across the plains to the point of exhaustion. Only then does he feel at peace and in harmony with his homeland. Abel’s participation in the race of the dead signifies his acceptance of the traditions Francisco hands down to him. He takes on Francisco’s mantle of a runner, joins the racers that Francisco showed him as a young boy, and begins to connect to Walatowa the way Francisco did by running through its landscape.
Running and Races Quotes in House Made of Dawn
The House Made of Dawn quotes below all refer to the symbol of Running and Races. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Prologue
Quotes
Dypaloh. There was a house made of dawn. It was made of pollen and of rain, and the land was very old and everlasting. There were many colors on the hills, and the plain was bright with different-colored clays and sands. Red and blue and spotted horses grazed in the plain, and there was a dark wilderness on the mountains beyond. The land was still and strong. It was beautiful all around.
Abel was running.
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11. The Dawn Runner, February 27
Quotes
He had begun at the wrong pace, another and better man’s pace, had seen the man come almost at once to the top of his strength, hitting his stride without effort […]. And like a fool he had taken up the bait, whole and at once, had allowed himself to be run into the ground. In the next instant his lungs should burst, for now they were burning with pain and the pain had crowded out the last and least element of his breath, and he should stumble and fall. But the moment passed […] and the next and the next, and he was running still, and still he could see the dark shape of the man running away […] like a motionless shadow. And he held onto the shadow and ran beyond his pain.
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12. The Dawn Runner, February 28
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He was running, and his body cracked open with pain, and he was running on. He was running and there was no reason to run but the running itself and the land and the dawn appearing. […] He saw the slim black bodies of the runners in the distance, gliding away without sound through the slanting light and the rain. […] His legs buckled and he fell in the snow. The rain fell around him in the snow and he saw his broken hands […]. And he got up and ran on. He was alone and running on. […] Pure exhaustion laid hold of his mind, and he could see at last without having to think. He could see the canyon and the mountains and the sky.
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Get the entire House Made of Dawn LitChart as a printable PDF.
Running and Races Symbol Timeline in House Made of Dawn
The timeline below shows where the symbol Running and Races appears in House Made of Dawn. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Prologue
...upon a time”––a word that begins a story. In an ancient and beautiful landscape, Abel runs along an empty road at dawn. His upper body is bare, and his skin is...
(full context)
1. The Longhair, July 20
On the road, Francisco recalls participating in a race meant to ensure good hunting and harvests. He defeated the best runner in the race...
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6. The Longhair, August 1
...that the men have grown less strict about preserving tradition. He thinks about winning a race against its best runner, and about the times he portrayed the bull.
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8. The Priest of the Sun, January 26
...his confused, disjointed thoughts as he takes in his surroundings. He thinks of old men running in white leggings, then of his disconnect from the world around him, then of fish....
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...traveling in the shadows. His pain eventually overcomes him, and he sees Milly and Ben running on a moonlit beach.
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11. The Dawn Runner, February 27
...a fractured mix of Spanish and the native Jemez language. His disjointed speech recalls the race he won as a young man and calls to Abel, Vidal, and Porcingula. Abel wants...
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...in the plain at dawn, where they listen to the sound of hundreds of men running the race of the dead. The fifth memory takes place during a ceremony for the...
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The last memory is of a race. Francisco runs too quickly, trying to match the other men’s pace rather than reserving his...
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12. The Dawn Runner, February 28
...his arm and chest with ashes. As the sun rises, he sees a group of runners in the distance. Behind them, a cloud stands over the black mesa. Abel approaches the...
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