Assimilation Too High a Price
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AssimilationToo High a Price
I've often tried to imagine the struggles of the Native Americans. In light of having their land stolen from them, it's not surprising that through the years they have labored to find their place in this country. Once free to cultivate the land and hunt at their will, they are now shut out and imprisoned in reservations. In this position, how do they discover their purpose as Indians and as people. As the Europeans continued to migrate to America and take over the land, the Natives found themselves to be a minority and "foreign" in their own land. It became obvious that in order to be successful in America, they would have to transform themselves and their dreams to fit into the new European America. Should they cling to their past and remain on reservations? Or should they let go of their ethnicity and customs to conform and live out "The American Dream"?
In "Class" and "Ceremony", the two main characters are men who are faced with this difficult choice. Each experienced "whiteness" in different ways...