The Night Watchman

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay. 

Scaffolded/Short-Answer Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the below bulleted outlines. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. From the start, we learn that Thomas’s name (“Wazhashk,” meaning “muskrat”) is an apt name for him. 

• How does this prove to be true over the course of the novel? (topic sentence)
• How does the muskrat become a symbol in the novel? Choose three instances and discuss how they help to describe Thomas as a character.
• Finally, discuss in your concluding sentence or sentences how this relates to the theme of Indigenous struggles to survive.

2. Roderick appears to Thomas regularly throughout the novel and almost acts as a character himself.

• Why is Roderick important to the story? (topic sentence)
• How does Roderick’s story connect to the fight against termination? Use three examples from the novel to support your ideas.
• Finally, discuss how Roderick connects the trauma of boarding schools to the broader story about termination.

3. Barnes is the only white character who lives on the reservation whose perspective is shown in the novel.

• How does Barnes provide an entry point for non-Indigenous readers? (topic sentence)
• How does Barnes understand his relationship to the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, and how does this relationship change over the course of the novel? Cite events or other examples from the text to support your answer.
• In your conclusion, connect Barnes’ experience to the theme of Indigenous struggles for survival in thinking about how Barnes comes to understand what is at stake with House Concurrent Resolution 108.

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by text details, and a conclusion.

1. Trace the motif of emancipation versus termination in the novel and connect it to the theme of Indigenous struggles to survive. In doing so, think about how this novel discusses the effects and potential effects of laws on the lived experience of Indigenous peoples in the United States throughout history. How does the fight against termination affect people individually and as a community? Is the ending of the novel hopeful or gloomy? How does this novel as a piece of historical fiction teach readers about Indigenous history in the U.S.? 

2. In the fight against termination, land and space are crucial to not only the legal debate about the status of the Turtle Mountain Chippewa in the eyes of the United States government but also in the connections of both the community and individuals to the earth. Compare and contrast characters’ experiences on and off the reservation and think about the role that the earth plays in their community as seen in The Night Watchman to make an argument about what is at stake in the work done to prevent House Concurrent Resolution 108 from being passed.

3. Is this novel a coming-of-age story for Patrice Paranteau? On the one hand, Patrice is main provider for her family financially, but on the other, she still has much to learn about the world and about herself as an adult. Pick a side in this argument and use examples from the text to support your answer. Additionally, be sure to consider what role the theme of the intersectional danger of being an Indigenous woman plays in this novel and how it contributes to Patrice’s growth as a character.