Examine the different techniques Leaphorn uses as a policeman working in the Navajo Nation. How does his deep understanding of his people both hinder and impede his investigations?

The novel was written in 1970. How does it reflect the concerns of Indigenous people in the US at the time? What policies did the Bureau of Indian Affairs enact at that time, and how did people respond?

McKee’s sudden divorce traumatized him and left him with a biased view of women. Analyze how McKee’s relationship with women evolves over the text, especially after he meets Ellen Leon. How does his new understanding of Ellen transform his understanding of himself?

Discuss the importance of setting in the novel. How do the novel’s primary settings impact its plot, themes, and character development? How does this comment on the importance of land in Indigenous cultures?

Explore the appearance of supernatural figures—ghosts, witches, spirits, and deities—and their narrative function. What do these figures represent in the context of Navajo culture? How do both believers and nonbelievers understand these figures similarly?

Analyze the Enemy Way ceremony and the symbolic character of Sandoval. How does this scene both show the maintenance of and the threats to Navajo traditions? How has the ceremony adapted to an increasingly modern world?

How does adherence to or rejection of the Navajo Way dictate the characters’ behavior? Does the text show that characters are better or worse off for following the Navajo Way?

What is the significance of the US Army having a missile testing site near the Navajo Nation? How does it symbolize the relationship between the US and its Indigenous nations?