The American Dream is a patriotic ethos in which freedom includes a promise of prosperity, success, and independence. Throughout this class, particular readings have followed the message of this dream and certain characters have reached the benefits, but in my opinion, the story of Zitkala-Sa's life and education is not an ideal of the American Dream. Granted, she may have been provided an education and the means to become a "civilized" human being, but the circumstances in which she came upon those benefits is opposite of the "rags to riches" story. Zitkala-Sa was forced by Americans from her native homeland to the "Land of the Red Apples," the location of a White's Manual Labor Institute. There, she was constrained from her national identity and humiliated into assimilating to white behavior. In Native American culture, having long hair was a sign of strength and virtue. "Our mothers had taught us that only unskilled warriors who were captured had their hair shingled by the enemy. Among our people, short hair was worn by mourners, and shingled hair by cowards!" Despite that Native American tradition, she was forced to cut her hair, as she lost her spirit and fell to the extreme indignities. In her school, she felt out of place and on the verge of tears constantly, fearing to venture to understand white culture. At one point, she mentioned "they took their forefingers out of their mouths and pointed at my moccasined feet...this embarrassed me, and kept me constantly on the verge of tears." Therefore, whites at the school indirectly taught Native Americans to assimilate to white culture by poking fun or staring at odd Native American clothes and traditions. Therefore, instead of starting out in the "rags" position and making her way to the American Dream, she was taken from her family, raised forcefully to be civilized, and assimilated to American language and culture in a way that disregarded her own decision making process and image for her life.
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