Part 1, Chapter 17 Summary

The narrator goes to a bar near the bus station and buys a Coke and chips. The bartender talks to him, recognizing him as Teresa's boy. The bartender asks about Lame Bull too, but the narrator can tell that Lame Bull caused trouble in the bar, and so the narrator pretends that he is someone the bartender does not recall. The narrator thinks about the night before, feeling guilty about the barmaid for reasons he cannot recall and regretting the loss of his belongings. The narrator then remembers the letter he has for his mother. The narrator pulls it out and rips it into pieces, not happy with his mother's relationship with a Catholic priest who refuses to step foot on a reservation.

Part 1, Chapter 17 Analysis

The narrator prepares to return home, full of regrets regarding the night before. The barmaid...