Journal 13# The illusion of progression

The American Dream advocates freedom and equality. It is an ideal that highlights the possibility of individuals being free to choose their own path of life, and in the process, attain success and prosperity. 

On the surface level, “The School Days Of An Indian Girl” by Zitkala-Sa can be seen as an affirmation of the American Dream, whereby colonization provided her with education and the possibility of a better future. The story highlights the manner in which “three years [of] school in the East, [enabled the Native Americans to] become civilized” (436). Such a sentence hints at the element of progression, whereby one is supposed to be climbing up the ranks in terms of economic and moral prosperity. However, a deeper analysis of the story illustrates that this is in fact not the case.  

Despite Zitkala-Sa assimilating into the western culture in terms of her ideals of wanting to go to parties and being dressed in Western fashion of “tight muslin dresses, with ribbons at [the] neck and waist” (436), her life does not show much signs of improvement or freedom. Instead, the readers are greeted with the level of difficulties that she has to come to terms with, in trying to adapt to the white man’s world that she is being thrown into. With her English education, she feels torn between life on the reservation and that among the white people. No longer does she hold the same ideals that will allow her to seek understanding and comfort from her mum, as both their mindsets are now drastically different. In addition, despite her appearing to have “progressed”, it is clear that in terms of her moral, she feels greatly repressed as she finds herself struggling to make sense of her present day situation.

A school is the body of entity that is supposed to be the path that allows one to attain liberation. However, in the description of the school, the readers’ find the students being confronted with the monotonous dull of the school life, whereby people function like robots, answering to the different bells.

This thus highlights how contrary to the colonizers’ belief, their actions may not necessarily be beneficial to the Native Americans. Instead of experiencing a sense of independence, the Native Americans are instead repressed and unable to find a place where they truly belong. It is thereby ironic that the American Dream seems much more attainable at the reservation.