Healer of the Water Monster

The friendly, loyal, and melancholy Water Monster of the Agave Pond is one of the novel’s most important secondary characters. One of the first things that Nathan notices about his friend is the water monster’s eyes, which are filled with “warmth and kindness” and have “a greenish yellowish tinge [...] that didn’t look at all healthy” (60). Pond’s friendliness shines through his readiness to help Nathan and his patience in teaching him the water monster songs. Pond is also a steadfast friend. He honors his promises to Nathan and is hurt when Nathan breaks his trust by trying to get out of journeying to the Third World.

After Nathan apologizes, Pond shows that he’s still committed to their friendship by treating Nathan to a dazzling display of magic in which he creates snowfall in the summer desert. However, reminders of Pond’s illness loom over even the happiest scenes, and the water monster never forgets what he lost or how his time grows short. He sorely misses the animals who used to rely on his waters, and he longs to be well again so that these friends will return. Pond endures terrible sadness but remains a model of friendship and loyalty.

As a dear friend to Nathan and a symbol of the devastation inflicted on the environment, Pond raises the story’s stakes and develops the theme of The Importance of Respecting Nature. The Holy Being contributes much of the magic in this magical realism novel. After all, healing Pond is the goal that leads the protagonist to meet many other supernatural beings and undertake his dangerous quest to the Third World. At the same time, Pond’s illness is caused by real-world problems, namely corporations’ exploitation of tribal lands. As a result, Pond serves as a powerful symbol for the environment’s destruction by humans.

However, Pond is much more than a symbol to Nathan. The water monster gives the protagonist the courage to accept the call to adventure by saying that they’re friends: “I wouldn’t send my friend into danger” (169). From the magical waterslide that carries Nathan and Pond to Nali’s home to the water monster’s eventual death, Pond gives the novel some of its most joyful moments as well as some of its most somber ones. His friendship forever changes Nathan, and his symbolism conveys a poignant lesson about the importance of respecting nature.

Another vital secondary character is Nali, Nathan’s wise, worried, and loving grandmother. She has “white hair speckled with strands of black,” which she wears in “a tight traditional Navajo bun that was held together by a bundle of white yarn” (6). Nali is a teacher who helps high school students learn Navajo. She also shares her wisdom with Nathan and helps him learn about their Navajo culture by passing on legends and stories from their family history. Nathan appreciates Nali’s teaching style because she is “patient and always allowed him to make mistakes” (17).

In addition to being a wise teacher, Nali is a deeply loving mother and grandmother. She makes tremendous sacrifices for her son, Jet. Nali sells precious family heirlooms, including her late husband’s jewelry and her cherished, hand-woven rugs, to pay for Jet’s Enemy Way Ceremony. Indeed, Nali “would sell the very hair on [her] head” to bring “back [Jet’s] smile” (155). Nali considers worry an inevitable consequence of loving someone, and her son’s addiction and depression cause her great pain and concern. In fact, when Pond first meets Nathan, the Holy Being already knows about Nali because he hears “her prayers and the troubles she endures with her son” (65). By depicting Nali as a wise teacher, a loving relative, and a worrier, Young makes her a round and realistic character.

Nali plays a significant role in the novel by developing the themes of nature and family. She gives Nathan a model of respect for the environment. For example, she scolds him for throwing away a mostly empty water bottle and shows him how to plant heirloom corn the way their ancestors did. Nali also develops the theme of Family as a Source of Both Love and Pain. Her character arc involves gaining greater trust in her loved ones and in the Holy Beings who watch over them. Sometimes, the love and worry she has for her relatives inadvertently create obstacles.

For much of the novel, her desperation to heal Uncle Jet narrows her focus to the Enemy Way Ceremony, preventing her from accepting that he needs to walk “both paths to wellness” (73). Devin and Nathan help her understand that Jet’s road to recovery will be long and arduous, and her grandson helps her reconcile with Jet despite the adults’ frequent fights. In Chapters 20 and 26, Nali’s concern threatens Nathan’s quest when she forbids him from meeting the Holy Beings in the desert and going to the Third World, respectively. Over time, Nali gains control of her worries by placing more trust in her relatives and the Holy Beings. In the Epilogue, Nathan’s father questions letting his son “wander the desert alone,” but Nali assures him, “He’s not alone. He has the Holy Beings” (337). Through Nali’s wisdom and growth, she conveys valuable lessons about respecting nature and loving one’s family.

Over the course of the novel, Jet goes from hopeless and hurtful to healing. At first, Nathan idolizes Uncle Jet, partly because the boy hopes to be “tall and muscled” like his uncle when he grows up (14). Jet wears “a black leather jacket that had a round US Marine seal on its right arm” (44). As Nathan gradually learns, his uncle has depression and alcohol addiction due to his time in the Marines and the death of his father. Jet eventually trades his Marine jacket for a bottle of alcohol. This is stark proof of the way addiction and depression erode his sense of self-worth and identity. The man’s hopelessness is exacerbated by the Ash Being, which is the vengeful spirit of a person Jet killed during his time in the military.

The Ash Being whispers a constant stream of cruelty in Jet’s ear, telling him that he is worthless and unlovable. In his woundedness, Jet lashes out and causes pain to the people he loves most. His frequent fights with Nali damage his relationship with his mother. This also hurts Nathan because the arguments reopen wounds caused by his parents’ disputes. Although Jet loves his nephew, he causes him physical as well as emotional pain. In Chapter 7, he tosses a trash bag at Nathan, knocking off the boy’s glasses and causing him to embed a jumping cactus in his hand. Instead of apologizing, Jet inflicts further damage by mocking the boy for crying. In Chapter 18, Jet places Nathan in a dangerous situation by bringing him to a party attended by intoxicated, violent adults. With help from Nathan, Uncle Jet faces his problems and begins to heal toward the end of the novel.

This conflicted, dynamic character makes essential contributions to the novel’s plot and themes. One of the two parallel plotlines focuses on Nathan’s efforts to heal Uncle Jet. This creates opportunities for the protagonist to grow and become a hero. For example, Nathan saves Jet’s life by refusing to leave his side after the man expresses suicidal ideation. Nathan’s determination to aid his uncle helps him face the ordeal of traveling to the Third World because the Holy Beings promise to assist with Uncle Jet’s ceremony in exchange. In addition, Jet’s difficult road to recovery develops the theme of family. Although his actions hurt Nali and Nathan, their love is far stronger than this pain. Nathan breaks through his uncle’s despair with his adamant insistence that Jet isn’t worthless or incapable of healing. With his family’s support, Uncle Jet completes the Enemy Way Ceremony and begins medication and therapy. Uncle Jet’s character arc grounds the magical realism novel by presenting serious, real-world problems and demonstrates the power of a family’s love.