Many conflicts about Navajo culture occur throughout the narrative, and underscoring this tension is the motif of reason versus belief. The two main characters, McKee and Leaphorn, are self-proclaimed logical types who struggle to accept things that are difficult for them to understand. McKee, as an outsider to the culture, sees Navajo belief systems as an anthropologic curiosity, not something to be understood literally. He theorizes that witches are people in a clan used as scapegoats to “blame in times of trouble or frustration” (23), not real practitioners of dark magic. This aligns with the practice of scapegoating men and women as “witches” in early American culture, and despite his many years of study on the Navajo culture and people, McKee can only process their belief system through his Western lens. However, several events occur to shake this reasoning and force McKee to expand his convictions. He describes his encounter with the Wolf as “unreal. Like some crazy childhood nightmare” (117). This further shows that he considers the idea of ghosts and witches childish, not something to be taken seriously. Though the Wolf turns out to be a man, the encounter forces McKee to consider that a Navajo witch, like Leaphorn argues, is someone who intentionally turns toward evil.

This motif also appears within Leaphorn’s struggles within himself and within his community. Leaphorn understands and respects his community’s beliefs, but in his role as a policeman, he must deal with tangible facts and actions; the supernatural cannot figure into legal decisions. In one tense moment, Leaphorn recalls the story of witchcraft for Sandoval, but the man calls him out for sounding like he’s reciting, not believing, the words he’s saying. Leaphorn has a great love for his people, but he can’t make the leap into accepting all their beliefs due to the conflicts in his mind.