Skinwalkers Essay

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For my summer assignment, I read the book Skinwalkers by Tony Hillerman. Skinwalkers is about a Navajo police officer named Jim Chee. The story takes place on the Navajo Reservation spanning several states (Arizona, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico). Throughout the book, Chee works with Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn to solve three seemingly connected homicides. Over the course of the story, the Officers find several strange bits of evidence, such as small bones and strange stories about things happening around the reservation. As the case progresses, Chee and Leaphorn discover that the motive may be much deeper than just hate, it may have to do with witchcraft. As the story concludes, Leaphorn realizes that Chee has been led into a trap and rushes …show more content…

One example of how Hillerman establishes a sense of place early in the book is when he first introduces the setting of the trailer and surrounding area where Jim Chee lives. “Only the dark shape of the junipers, and a mile up the river the lights that someone had left on at the Navaho Nation Shiprock Agency highway maintenance yards, and beyond that the faint glow that attempted to civilize the night at the town of Shiprock. He could sell dust and the peculiar aroma of wilted, dying leaves—an odor familiar to Chee and to all Navajos, and one that evoked unpleasant boyhood memories.” This quote does an excellent job of establishing what things are like around the reservation. It shows that Chee is very familiar with his surroundings. The quote also shows how Chee feels about the area where he lives. He feels uncomfortable because of the smell, which reminds him of his hard life growing up. Another example of sense of place in Skinwalkers is the description of Lieutenant Leaphorn’s home and his morning routine. “He’d awakened a little before dawn and lay motionless, feeling Emma’s hip warm against his own, listening to the sound of her breathing, feeling a numbing sense of loss. He had decided finally, that he would force her to see a doctor.” This quote shows that while it is a normal morning and that the bed is very familiar and comforting, there is still unrest in Leaphorn’s mind

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