The Blessing Way

The Navajo Way is the guiding principle of Navajo life, which dictates how a person acts and thinks. In the text, the Navajo Way appears as a motif both to explain Navajo culture and to illuminate characters’ motivations, particularly whether they adhere to the Way’s guidelines or not. The text describes the Navajo Way as the Middle Way, as it “[avoids] all excesses” (40) of emotion and material possessions. By limiting emotional extremes and by avoiding the hoarding of wealth, a Navajo lives in harmony with oneself, one’s community, and nature. Several characters try to adhere to the Navajo Way to keep themselves level-headed. Leaphorn, for example, “[resists] the urge to hurry” (205) and forces himself to work through the evidence at Ceniza Mesa carefully, so that he doesn’t jump to conclusions. Joseph Begay similarly explains that he controls his anticipation for his daughter’s visit so he can enjoy the present moment, like “the shower at midnight and the smell of the earth and the beauty of the morning” (40). The Navajo Way helps these characters remain grounded so they don’t act out rashly.

George, or the Big Navajo, also acts in relation to the Navajo Way, but in opposition to it.