Preview of In the Presence of the Sun: Stories And Poems 1961-1991 Summary:

Momaday's sympathies for the environment are not political; rather, he asserts that the human relationship with nature is a spiritual and aesthetic one. Nature itself is indifferent to us; rather, we are enriched by our response to nature — its beauty and mystery — particularly as it enhances our imagination and our art.

Unlike many writers of the American West, Momaday does not romaticize Nature's response to humans: Nature is indifferent, impassive; death...