Conflict Affects Characterization “All conflict we experience in this world, is a conflict within ourselves” (Brenda Shoshanna). Internal conflict is defined as a mental struggle arising from opposing demands or impulses. Throughout the story, House Made of Dawn, a young man named Abel, who belongs to the Eagle Watchers Society; goes through struggles against his tribe’s ways. Both internal and external conflict can affect the characterization of a person.
The eagle is a symbol of power, and freedom. To begin with, the eagle is revered. N. Scott Momaday expresses the strength of the eagle. He writes about an eagle capturing a rabbit, “He saw her in the instant she was struck. Her foot flashed out and one of her talons laid the jack rabbit open the length of its body. It stiffened and jerked, and her other foot took ahold of its skull and crushed it” (48). The eagle’s power is expressed throughout the whole novel, it
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Also, Abel makes a choice that could change his relationship with himself and other members of the tribe. N. Scott Momaday writes about Abel, “The sight of it filled him with shame and disgust. He took ahold of the its throat in the darkness and cut off its breath” (48). Having the feeling of shame and disgust inside you is one of the worst feelings humans can feel and most people would do anything to get rid of that feeling. Abel made his choice of killing the eagle to try and help get rid of that feeling. Next, the way Abel’s character acts has changed since capturing the eagle. Momaday writes, “He felt the great weight of the bird which he held in the sack, The dusk was fading quickly into the night, and the others could not see that his eyes were filled with tears” (48). Since killing the rabbits, we see Abel’s character change. The fact that his eyes started tearing up proves that he must have felt guilt or remorse. Overall, Momaday shows the reader that Abel’s character