Topic 1

Set is said to have been transformed into a bear by the end of the book. What do you take this transformation to mean? How does this transformation relate to the many tellings of the bear myth throughout the novel?

Topic 2

In The Ancient Child, Momaday devotes a fair amount of description to women’s bodies. What does this preoccupation with the physical, as well as the nature of his description, tell us about Locke Setman, or about Momaday himself? Does this obsession with physicality relate to any of the novel’s themes?

Topic 3

Both Set and Grey are sexually abused in the novel. Why do you think Momaday thought these scenes were necessary? How does Grey’s reaction to her rape evince her own power, and how does this relate to the rest of her sexual experience?

Topic 4

By the end of the book, it...