The Night Watchman: Two Months Summary & Analysis

The congressional hearings for the Termination Bill are scheduled for the first week in March. Millie had never been to a funeral like that of Paranteau before. And as the proceedings took place in Chippewa, she realized that when she conducted her study, people had spoken in English for her benefit. Barnes sits in what he thinks of as his monk cell, thinking of the three women he has feelings for. Juggie is upset when Wood Mountain unthinkingly shows her the cradle board to admire what he made for the baby. While having sex with Norbert, Betty Pye sees someone’s face in the window of the car he borrowed from her mother. She knows the face but can’t quite place it. Louis considers it a sacred mission of his to get every person on the reservation to sign the petition.

Thomas thinks they have two months to save their homeland and themselves but finds himself unable to focus on his work. It’s because he’s afraid, he thinks. Just before Christmas, Patrice’s eyes begin to smart. She bathes them in medicine in secret at her job, afraid that if someone finds out, she’ll lose it. Millie enters words into her notebook. The same word is used for both ejaculation and shooting off a gun: baashkizige. The word for condom and gun case is also the same: biinda’oojigan. She thinks it’s fascinating. People keep asking LaBatte to get them things, but he tells them he doesn’t do that anymore. He thinks Patrice has a jinx on her though. He can tell because of her eyes.