Zitkala-Sa’s autobiographical entry in the Atlantic Monthly titled The School Days of an Indian Girl, I believe that she does in fact make the American dream come true. Although, her first writings include several instances where she is denied freedom from certain religious persecution she in the end seems to elude the Christian influence that the “paleface” people attempt to force upon her. Although her hair is hair is “shingled” and she claims her spirit is broken, later in the book she continues to reject the ideals of that missionary tried to instill in her. Although she accepts the image of the white man’s devil in a dream, she escapes him, by being gathered up into her mothers lap, almost signifying her escape from all the white religious institution had sought to teach her. Unable to assimilate back into a transformed the transformed Indian culture she discovers when she returns from her schooling she seeks her own path, in which she embodies an American dream come true. Fitting in no where in particular, she decides to return to schooling and to educate herself, not with a sense to fit in with the white way of life, but to give herself a voice and let her speak out on the injustices that have plagued her life. Zitkala-Sa wins one of the two awards given at an oratory competition in the conclusion of her entry, despite prejudice shown in the audience towards Native Americans. Metaphorically she does not only conquer the prejudice in the room that night. This small defeat seems to lead onto what the rest of her career followed to be as she follows her American dream and voices her opinion. Her history mentions that in the last 25 years of her life Zitkala-Sa goes on to become a pivotal activist in the crusade for the rights of Native Americans. I believe in this entry proves, although being abused by white society in America, she successfully fulfills what could positively be described as an American Dream.
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