Analysis Of Fleeting Native American Dream

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Curran MacMillan Browning/2 MF – Formal Essay 13 October 2014 Fleeting Native American Dreams The Native American people have struggled throughout the history of the United States. They have been forced away from their land and have been oppressed for years, while the majority of society, the white population, thrives. The American Dream that has been introduced to Native Americans is the idea that all people, including them, can achieve the freedom, wealth and equality that the land of opportunity has to offer. Unfortunately, this is a false optimism. Because of Native American’s long history of oppression and the relocating of their people to reservations, they have lived impoverished lives and have had to cope with many inequalities, especially …show more content…

The main characters in the short story, Lyman and Henry Lamartine, are Native American brothers that have a nearly inseparable connection through a car; a red convertible for which the story gets its name. The brothers’ journey begins when they decide to go up to Winnipeg one day. This is where the two brothers first realize their dream. They see the car for the first time; a car that “reposed, calm and gleaming, [with] a FOR SALE sign in its left front window” (1). This vehicle is the embodiment of freedom, the freedom the boys yearn to experience. Although there are many symbols throughout the story, the largest of them is this red convertible. After making the abrupt decision to purchase the car, they use it to escape from the hard, impoverished life that they were raised in. They spend the summer traveling to Chicken, Alaska and across Montana, Idaho and many other U.S. states. The convertible serves as a source of happiness for both brothers and represents their independence. The convertible made them feel like they never “[had] to sleep hard or put away the world” (2). They left behind the unfair and lackluster quality of living from the reservation and got a taste of their dream, however …show more content…

The American Dream clashes with this traditional Native American culture because Native Americans had already enjoyed true freedom and happiness in the United States for thousands of years before any invaders stepped foot in the New World. The freedom Native Americans life once ensured has been severely limited and the people as a whole has been oppressed, pushed back from the majority of American citizens. For the few Native Americans left in the country, freedom is an unfamiliar idea and true happiness cannot be completely realized within the isolation of reservations. If these native people cannot be fully free or happy, then they cannot achieve the American Dream. To sum up Erdrich’s short story, the American Dream simply is not achievable for Native Americans. Proven using symbolism and point of view, Erdrich plunges deep into the reality behind the American Dream by giving insight to what Native Americans are experiencing. The lack of freedom, the poverty and the inequality have always kept the American Dream out of reach for Native Americans. The American Dream is not possible. Maybe it is time to change the American Dream to better all parts of the society rather than only the wealthy few who are lucky enough to be born into luxury

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