Point of View

The first two sections are exceptions to the general structure and point of view of the whole novel. The first section is from the point of view of Lomatewa, the Messenger in the preparation of a Hopi ceremonial. It describes his dealing with the discovery of a Navajo corpse on the trail, which his party is following. The story then cuts, in the conventional cinematic script fashion, to the point of view of the pilot of a light aircraft on a covert drug delivery flight. Both these sections build considerable dramatic tension and the reader anticipates that the seemingly unrelated scenes will eventually be incorporated into the general development of the plot.

In the third section the point of view becomes that of the main character of the story, Jim Chee, Navajo Tribal Policeman, and remains so for the rest of the story. The point of...