N. Scott Momaday chronicles Abel's journey in his novel House Made of Dawn. The novel features Abel, the main protagonist, running alone at dawn, but Abel's reasons for running are unknown and unexplained until the end of the book. Francisco, Abel's grandfather who raises him, comes to pick up Abel returning from the war and is greeted by a drunken Abel. Abel no longer has any family members apart from his Francisco. Abel's father was not there, his mother died and his brother Vidal also died. Abel is a complicated character because Abel is an alcoholic and continually lets him get into trouble. The way Abel grew up also affected the way his life would later become. Many themes and symbols are used throughout the book to help the reader know that something important is going to happen in Abel's life. This article will discuss different themes that connect the events and their effects in the telling of Abel's story. Running was a theme that uses this effect in the telling of Abel's story. The beginning of the story features Abel running. Abel runs the same race that Francisco described in his memory. When Francisco went to look for Abel at the beginning of the story, Francisco passes by Seytokwa who reminds him of the race for good hunting and good harvests. Francisco describes the race in the same way in relation to Abel's race. Francisco ran to the point that his body no longer felt pain. The climax and importance of the race was when Francisco overtook Mariano, who was supposed to be the fastest runner, and hit him with his hand. Mariano was the best and Francisco beat him; Francisco is therefore able to put his problems with Mariano behind him. When ...... middle of paper ...... together the pieces of the story. To help the reader do this, the book offers numerous themes and symbols that explain how different themes connect events and how they affect the telling of Abel's story. Abel spoke few words in the novel because he believes that words are powerful. Abel finally understands the traditions of his racing grandfather and can let go of the things that keep him from moving beyond his past. Abel grew up without a father figure and felt the nature around him at the age of five when his mother died; therefore, he appreciates nature and life from his childhood and does not want to assimilate into the modern world. Although the themes discussed in this article describe the effect of Abel's story using a certain theme, many of the themes in the novel will help the reader understand the significance of what is happening in Abel's life..