Archilde’s Relationship With The Non-Native American Characters

Once you have completed the reading (The Surrounded, pp. 157-297), please respond to each of the following prompts. Support your response by referring to specific examples (quotes, page numbers) from The Surrounded.

1. How was Archilde’s attempt — and failure — to save the mare a metaphor for the novel? What might the mare represent? Are there, perhaps, multiple ways of interpreting this moment? What comes to mind? What do you think McNickle was trying to say?

2. What are some realizations that Archilde has about his family? Provide some examples. This novel is about a Native American man’s experience, but are there universal aspects of Archilde’s experience? What might some of those aspects be, and where do they appear in the novel?

3. Consider Archilde’s relationship with the non-Native American characters in the novel. What is the nature of these relationships? Provide some examples. Why do you think McNickle included these characters? How do his relationships with these characters contribute to — and even complicate — our understanding of Archilde?

4. Consider McNickle’s bio.