The Night Watchman

The Night Watchman

by

Louise Erdrich

The Night Watchman: The Names Summary & Analysis

Summary
Analysis
Things started going wrong, Zhaanat thinks, when places started to be named for people and not the real things that happened there, like dreaming, eating, death, where animals appeared. And, in her experience, once people talk about taking land, it’s as good as gone.
Zhaanat’s thoughts seem to suggest that issues began when people started to be elevated above all else, when people were granted the highest forms of estimation and power and, as a result, their egos took over. Then people became willing and able to climb to the highest rung in a hierarchy and subjugate others supposedly below them, according to their whims and desires. 
Themes
Power, Solidarity, and Community Action Theme Icon
Oppression and Supposed Good Intentions Theme Icon
Agency and Exploitation Theme Icon