Nature · Animals · Non-Human: A Study of Community Consciousness in The Night Watchman

Abstract

The Night Watchman written by Louis Erdrich won the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for fiction. The core characters running through the novel are not only Thomas Wazhashk, but Patrice who bears the burden of narrating the natural world of the Turtle Mountain reserve. Louis Erdrich not only noticed the connection between females and nature with keen eyes, but also human and non-humans. The interaction among them reflects the author’s thoughts on the ecological environment, human survival, and indigenous tradition conflicted with modern appeal. Therefore, this article, using the Biocentric Equality of deep ecology, explores the Community Consciousness in the novel.