The Night Watchman

The Night Watchman

by

Louise Erdrich

The Night Watchman: Louis Pipestone Summary & Analysis

Summary
Analysis
Louis Pipestone, who has racing horses, drives to Zhaanat’s house, where he plans to get her to sign the petition against the Termination Bill. Pokey is too young to sign, but he listens to what Louis says, and then helps his mother sign. Louis leaves and gets a remarkable number of signatures before going to Thomas’s house, where they talk more about how to counter the bill.
Louis Pipestone is in charge of circulating the petition, which helps garner support for the effort to oppose the Termination Bill and also helps in simply spreading awareness. The petition—a collection of signatures—is also a perfect symbol to show that the effort doesn’t involve just Thomas, or just the advisory committee, but the entire community.
Themes
Power, Solidarity, and Community Action Theme Icon
Agency and Exploitation Theme Icon