Singled Out

Singled Out

At one point in time or another, all of us have fallen victim to the pain and anguish inflicted by feelings of not belonging. In “Blue Winds Dancing” by Tom Whitecloud, a young Indian boy is thrown into the white school system and forced to confront his own identity. He is torn between practicing his traditional Indian customs and trying to blend in with “civilized” white society. He feels like an outcast amongst the white people who ridicule and scorn him for being different. Not until he returns home does he find comfort in his surroundings. He realizes he has no shame in his heritage and pretending to be white will only further alienate him from his true self. Feeling estranged in an unknown society can be torture for your psyche. People often outcast you if you are of a different race, religion, or if you are poor. Society unfairly judges those who appear to steer away from the norm.

Celebrating your own race can be a beautiful thing, but when you’re placed in a position where you are the minority, it can bring about mental anguish and feelings of abandonment. The young Indian boy struggled to belong, but he could never bridge that gap because he would always look different. “It is terrible to have to feel inferior; to have to read reports of intelligence tests, and learn that one’s race is behind” (157). Even the white media has convinced the Indian boy that his own race is somehow less superior just because they have different cultural backgrounds. These accusations are absolutely absurd, nevertheless, the young Indian boy feels deeply estranged in this judgmental society. “We just don’t seem to fit in anywhere-certainly not among the whites, and not among the older people” (158). The boy feels like he cannot relate to anybody. He is lost in a world of loneliness. The boy finds relief when he returns home to visit his family on the reservation. He finally rediscovers his true self and realizes he cannot “be ashamed of his own people when he knows they have dreams as beautiful as white snow on a tall pine” (159). The boy once again feels like he is part of something special and no longer made to feel like an outcast. It is a terrible thing that our society is so judgmental that a minority can only feel accepted by his own family. Not only do we exclude people from different races...

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...ed white men want us to be like them – always dissatisfied – getting a hill and wanting a mountain” (157). The boy feels like all of his beliefs go against those of the whites; they can’t even agree on what it means to be happy. Money has been a dividing force amongst people ever since the first coin was given a value. Until we realize money does not define a person, we will continue to alienate those without it.

Being an outsider can be a more fatal blow to the human emotions than a dagger piercing the heart of an enemy. Being an outsider means dealing with the torment of asking yourself, why me? Society is so cluttered with prejudgmental beliefs, that anyone who appears to be different is immediately outcasted from the majority. It is sad that a young Indian boy, just trying to educate himself, is alienated because he looks and thinks differently. Being different from each other allows us to express our own individuality. If we were all the same it would be a pretty bland world. We must eliminate our prejudices and embrace our differences. Until we do, we are all susceptible to fall victim to the pain and anguish brought about by being an outsider.