Religion
Chess and Thomas discuss religion frequently while they are on the road. Instead of sleeping, the two stay up late and think about religion and how it influenced their lives. Thomas is not as religious as Chess but he doesn’t deny the fact that there is indeed a God. What he does not understand is how a loving God would allow such a tragedy to happen. Chess argues that God does exist even though bad things happen in the world and the reason why those things happen is not because God is uninterested but because he allows the people on earth to express their free will as they see fit.
Injustice
The Indians suffer because they are regarded in a certain way by the white population in America. Even though they were Natives to the land, as the story approaches the present time the impression left is that the Native communities were slowly dying out and losing their identity. The Native communities were regarded as being inferior to the white people and many saw them as being dangerous and akin to animals, people who were unable to control themselves.
Dreams
Another important theme in the novel is the presence of dreams and the presence of mystical elements that affect the lives of the characters. Dreams were used in the novel to offer more information about the characters and to reveal certain information that would have remained unknown otherwise. For example, the reader is allowed to take a glimpse into the past of the characters and see the relationship they had with various family members through the dreams they are having. Dreams are also used to present the distant past of the Native nation and to present the things they had to endure at the hands of their white oppressors.
