Character Analysis Of The Protagonist In “Blue Wind Dancing”
Character Analysis of the Protagonist in “Blue Wind Dancing”
“Blue Wind Dancing” is one of the short stories by Tom Whitecloud. The story describes a young Indian man on his way home after completing studies in a Native American school. The protagonist contrasts his culture and that of the White Americans and laments about how inappropriate the latter is. He disapproves of civilization usually perpetuated by Whites and concludes that his culture is better by far. On his way home, he is fighting an identity battle given his protracted absence from his people. During his studies, he learned the customs of the White man and became assimilated into them. He, however, needs to reconnect with his people and regain his identity as an Indian. He is worried that his people will never accept him as one of theirs since he has interacted with the Whites. The story is awash with symbolism that accentuates the themes presented by the author. As an Indian author, Tom Whitecloud offers a lived account of himself and other Indians who went through assimilation by the White man. The reader appreciates the identity struggles that Indians faced as they contended with the new customs to balance their tradition with civilization.
The first few paragraphs describe the protagonist as a keen observer of the world around him. He compares and contrasts his home and culture with that of the White man. He mentions that his home in Wisconsin has different weather patterns than the one he experiences in the school environment. He describes Wisconsin as a calm rural area with birds, bears, and vegetation that live harmoniously with the environment (Whitecloud 184). Unlike in his home where men are free, there is captivity where he lives. People talk and do things they do not want in pursuit of civilization. In the civilized world, topics about politics, social services, and women fill the air. At the end of the story, the protagonist describes his social environment as serene as people of all ages sit down and quietly listen to music while watching the night sky. The dichotomy between his people and home with that of the civilized world further deepens his identity issues. He appears to love both sides, although he is deeply connected to the customs of his people.
The protagonist represents the many Indians who felt the urge to “return to the blanket” after completing their studies in Indian schools. The education program for the Native Americans was a plan by the settlers to civilize the Native Americans and deprive them of their culture. This deculturization effort, as Joel Spring notes, was an overt tactic to have Native Americans dismiss their culture and acquire skills that would enable them to transact with the Anglo-Saxon imperialists (34). The education programs were, however, racist and dehumanizing. In “Civilize Them with a Stick,” the Mary Crow Dog and Richard Erdoes describe the sexual and physical abuse that characterized education in the various boarding schools meant for the Native Indians. The Department notes that women faced sexual harassment at the hands of priests deployed in the schools as teachers or other workers. Girls faced verbal and physical abuse from nuns who would thrash them with the slightest provocation. From this account, it is clear that Native Indians who went through these education programs experienced moral decadence and hypocrisy prevalent in civilized society.
The narrator in “Blue Wind Dancing” loathes the civilized customs and decides to rejoin his people and practice his culture. He experiences an identity crisis due to the exposure to civilized customs and what that meant to his parents and the larger Indian community. Historical evidence shows that many students who went through these educational programs felt that they had betrayed their kinsmen. An example of such evidence is a documentary titled “In the White Man’s Image.” The narrator in this film gives an account of Indians who went back home to create a faction meant to seek divine intervention for their cultural restoration. This group called the Ghost Dancers, held purification ceremonies to cleanse them of foreign contamination and restore their identity as Indians. One such man was Plenty-Horses who killed a White to signify his allegiance to the Indian community (Starkey).
The author employs symbolism to enhance the meaning of the story while captivating his readers at the same time. The mention of geographical features like hills, mountains, and the weather is used to create mental images of the harmony and serenity of the Indian reservations. The symbols are contrasted with chaotic Christmas parties and hectic streets full of prostitutes and criminals (Whitecloud 185). Tom Whitecloud uses this symbolism to express his disapproval of civilization. Indeed, civilization was an ironic concept. The narrator thinks that the dirty overcoats that civilized people wear to shelter themselves from cold are symbolic of captivity. According to him, civilization has deprived the whites of a sharing spirit. Additionally, it has denied them a deep and natural connection with the community. While the Indians listen to the voices of each other, the White civilized men must have radios to listen to music. Moreover, the White men can no longer appreciate the beauty of craft; the ability to make items from natural sources and admire them (Whitecloud 184).
“Blue Wind Dancing” is an artistic replica of Tom Whitecloud’s personal and family background. Born to a White mother and a Chippewa father, Whitecloud spent his life toggling between the dominant White culture and his father’s native customs in the tribal reservations. The narrator in this story does not represent him but aligns his experiences with those of his father. Although he studied law through the White’s educational programs, he “chose not to cast his lot with White America” (Littlefield). The desire to remain rooted in his culture broke his marriage, and Tom was forced to live with his mother. Tom, too, pursued his medical degree and served as an Indian Service Doctor. However, his commitment to the welfare of the bigger American society saw him take up a career in the military where he served as an army doctor. While his father remarried an Indian woman and dedicated his life to practicing the Indian culture, Tom was more accommodating of the ethnic diversity as seen in her later pursuits in life. The story, therefore, describes the life of a purely Indian man who is fully committed to re-entering his community and shunning the civilized culture. Tom, on the other hand, embraces the two communities and pursues internal harmony between his Indian and White identities.
Parting shot
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