An Indian-American Dream

Zitkala-Sa (Red Bird) was one of thousands that pursued the American dream as an Indian. Most people associate the American Dream with a life of easy, peace, and prosperity. Ultimately, that is the goal. What most people do not understand is that to achieve this dream you must try, fight, and persevere. This is exactly what Zitkala-Sa did which is why her story is so American. Early Americans fought the British for their freedoms. The Indians, and Zitkala-Sa, had to fight the Americans for theirs. Early settlers had adversities they had to overcome, and while Zitkala-Sa's may have been different, they were struggles none the less. In her writing, "The School Days of an Indian Girl" she talks these struggles. The white man was horrible to the Indians. Zitkala writes about the time when they held her down and forced her to have her hair cut.  She wrote, "I cried aload...and heard them gnaw off one of my thick braids."  The Whites in charge of the Iron Routine, at the school, often refused to treat the sick children and resulted in the child's death. These and other struggles helped Zitkala to become the woman she became. Though she did adapt to the "white-man" ways of life, she still held her Indian heritage close. These struggles are her American Dream. While different than the traditional American Dream, it is her Indian-American dream none the less.