The Night Watchman

The Night Watchman

by

Louise Erdrich

The Night Watchman: Old Man Winter Summary & Analysis

Summary
Analysis
Sometimes Biboon thinks his spirit can fly from tree to tree like a bird. Beneath the ground, he senses beings, and beneath that, the fire of creation, which is buried at the center of the earth, put there by stars. He watches a circle of women dance in a snowy field. One turns and gestures. It’s Julia, and Biboon thinks that he’ll see her soon.
Similar to Thomas’s experience of the supernatural and the star powwow, Biboon has an encounter with the supernatural, which ends with him seeing his wife, who he thinks he’ll see for real soon. Again, it’s notable that this experience of the supernatural isn’t dismissed or treated as more or less real, or more or less important, than other scenes in the novel.
Themes
Power, Solidarity, and Community Action Theme Icon