The Night Watchman
Introduction + Context
Plot Summary
Detailed Summary & Analysis
Introductory Note Turtle Mountain Jewel Bearing Plant Lard on Bread The Watcher The Skin Tent Three Men The Boxing Coach Noko Water Earth Juggie’s Boy Valentine’s Days Pukkons Perfume The Iron The Fruit Crate A Seat on the Train A Bill Who? [1] Indian Joke Who? [2] Flags Log Jam 26 The Wake-Up Shave The Old Muskrat The Waterjack Left Hook Louis Pipestone Ajax Iron Tulip Woodland Beauty The Average Woman and the Empty Tank The Missionaries The Beginning The Temple Beggar Wild Rooster Arthur V. Watkins Cool Fine The Torus Metal Blinds X = ? Twin Dreams The Star Powwow Agony Would Be Her Name Homecoming The Bush Dance Hay Stack Thwack The Tonsils A Letter to the University of Minnesota The Chippewa Scholar What She Needed Old Man Winter The Cradle Board Battle Royale Two-Day Journey Boxing for Sovereignty The Promotion Edith, Psychic Dog The Hungry Man Good News Bad News Flying Over Snow Snares Cradle to Grave The Night Watch Two Months New Year’s Soup The Names Elnath and Vernon Night Bird U.S.I.S. The Runner Missionary Feet The Spirit Duplicator Prayer for 1954 You Can’t Assimilate Indian Ghosts Clark Kent Checks The Lamanites The Lord’s Plan The Committee Scrawny The Journey Falcon Eyes Termination for Federal Contracts and Promises Made with Certain Tribes of Indians The Way Home If Tosca The Salisbury The Lake, the Well, the Crickets Singing in the Grass The Ceiling Greater Joy The Owls The Bear Skull in the Tree Was Painted Red and Faced East The Duplicator Spirits À Ta Santé Roderick Thomas Closing Notes Afterword and Acknowledgments
Themes
All Themes Power, Solidarity, and Community Action Oppression and Supposed Good Intentions Humor and Pain Sex, Violence, and Gender Agency and Exploitation
Quotes
Characters
All Characters Thomas Wazhashk Patrice “Pixie” Paranteau Arthur V. Watkins Vera Paranteau Wood Mountain Lloyd Barnes Zhaanat Jack Malloy Millie Cloud Valentine Blue Doris Lauder Betty Pye Pokey Paranteau Bucky Duvalle Walter Vold Pogo Paranteau LaBatte Gerald Joe “Wobble” Wobleszynski Bernadette Blue Roderick Vernon Elnath
Symbols
All Symbols The Waterjack Suit The Muskrat
Literary Devices
All Literary Devices Alliteration Allusions Dialect Dramatic Irony Foreshadowing Genre Hyperbole Idioms Imagery Irony Metaphors Mood Motifs Personification Satire Setting Similes Style Tone
Download PDF
Download Teacher Edition
Sign In

The Night Watchman

by Louise Erdrich
Upgrade to A+

The Night Watchman Literary Devices

Company
About Us Our Story
Support
Help Center Contact Us
Connect
Facebook Twitter
Legal
Terms of Service Privacy Policy Privacy Request
Home About Contact Help
LitCharts, a Learneo, Inc. business
Copyright © 2026 All Rights Reserved
Terms Privacy Privacy Request
The LitCharts.com logo.
The LitCharts.com logo.
The LitCharts.com logo.
The LitCharts.com logo.