Zitkala Silka Character Analysis

V. Little by little, Zitkala Ša consciously and unconsciously changes into a tamer individual, one that is generally less happy. After seeing a depiction of the devil for the first time, Zitkala Ša has a dream. She describes this dream, noting, “Once again I seemed to be in my mother’s cottage. An Indian woman had come to visit my mother” (94). Here, she describes a visitor in her home as “Indian” using the white term for her race. Why would Zitkala Ša, a Native American herself, call the woman by this distinction and not her tribe or dress? It seems very odd, but shows insight on to the changes that Zitkala Ša is internally going through. She no longer views herself as truly wild or free like the other Native Americans, or as she now calls …show more content…
She’s older, more mature, and has had her wild spirit oppressed through the years. Mentally, Zitkala Ša cannot revert back to this free mindset as an animal. It would be like a domesticated wolf, raised in captivity and being fed by humans, going out in to the wild. She simply doesn’t know how, or doesn’t remember how. Rather than being a wild animal, actively participating and being one with nature, Zitkala Ša is now just a passive observer just like the “palefaces.” She notes that she is “neither a wee girl nor a tall one” merely reinforcing the fact that she does not have an identity. This is an awkward time in life for her, and in conjunction with how she cannot relate to anyone on a cultural level, she is having a hard time relating to others on a timely level. The most important statement here though is the final one. Zitkala Ša does not relate with the other wild Indians clearly as she does not fit in with them and the landscape. Conversely she does not fit in with the tame Indians, those who educated her, either. An example of a tame Indian would be her brother, educated just as she was. Her brother, however, “had become civilized” (99), and went out with other civilized Indians. …show more content…
White settlers educated Native Americans for decades, teaching them their values and ideals, pulling them away from their native culture. This left these Native Americans like Zitkala Ša torn between the two sides, divided in belief. Their lives lost meaning as they had no place to call home and contribute to society. Zitkala Ša wrote this memoir to highlight these faults, and eventually became a teacher herself to attempt to fix them. Her audience for this polished novel is the Caucasian population. She writes this piece to make a statement and outwardly declare that they’re wrong. Wrong in the sense that they should continue to be cruel to this group. Wrong in the sense that they should continue to deprive these innocent people of their cultural identity. Wrong in the sense that they should sit idly by while this