1. What do you think the author is trying to say in this chapter? Think symbolically.

There is an important sentence in the opening of Chapter 20, which makes it clear that the government officials are not extracting the marrow from the Native Americans. The author still does not describe exactly what is being done to the subjects, but does say that they are hooked up to probes and wires before the dreams are drained from the subject. Some readers may become increasingly frustrated that the author does not try to explain the “science” behind the process, nor does the author ever say what happens to the liquid that is “drained” from the subjects. The reader never knows if members of the general population drink the fluid or if it is used in some other way. Some readers may not care that these details are omitted. While the average reader will accept that the events of this novel are actually happening, it could be that the entire novel is symbolic of the oppression that Native Americans are facing and of the importance of their spirituality and ethnicity. Some Native American tribes are becoming increasingly concerned about the loss of their history and culture, and are seeking new ways of handing down the information and practices that are being lost.