The Night Watchman

The Night Watchman

by

Louise Erdrich

The Night Watchman: Arthur V. Watkins Summary & Analysis

Summary
Analysis
If Arthur V. Watkins had been a boxer, which he wasn’t, he would have been a brawler, surprising for someone who looks so “ideal-looking” and respectable. Joseph Smith and early Mormons tried to kill all Native people on their way across the country. Arthur V. Watkins, on the other hand, uses the power granted by his office to achieve the same thing, and he doesn’t have to get “his hands bloody.”
Arthur V. Watkins might be “ideal-looking” and “respectable,” but this chapter points out that even though he won’t get his hands bloody, he is every bit as violent as those who killed Native people before him. 
Themes
Oppression and Supposed Good Intentions Theme Icon
Agency and Exploitation Theme Icon