# My First Day explained — American Indian Stories > Chapter companion for American Indian Stories by Zitkála-Šá. ## What happens The narrator, an Indian woman, arrives at an Eastern Indian boarding school to teach, despite her physical exhaustion from illness. She reflects on her journey away from her mother and her commitment to working for the Indian race. Upon meeting the school's principal, she senses his disappointment at her frail appearance, and she succumbs to weariness upon reaching her room. ## Themes in this chapter ### Education as a Tool of Oppression The narrator's illness from college and her mother's view that 'white man's papers' cost freedom and health highlight the oppressive nature of Western education for Native people. ### Cultural Displacement and Assimilation The narrator's journey east to teach at an Indian school represents the physical and cultural displacement from her home and mother. ### Loss of Identity and Belonging The narrator feels out of place in the school's sterile environment, and her employer's disappointment underscores her sense of not belonging. ## Character check-ins ### Mother The narrator's mother, who would have disapproved of the white man's education if she knew of her daughter's illness. ### Ohiyesa The narrator, a young Indian woman who has come to teach at an Eastern boarding school despite her weakened condition. ## Key lines > Had she known of my worn condition, she would have said the white man’s papers were not worth the freedom and health I had lost by them. If my mother knew how exhausted I was, she would have told me that the white man's education wasn't worth the loss of my freedom and health. _Reflects the theme of education as a tool of oppression and the mother's wisdom._ > I thought I heard a subtle note of disappointment in his voice. I sensed a hint of disappointment in his tone. _Shows the narrator's awareness of being judged by her appearance._ ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/american_indian_stories_se/chapters/i-my-first-day - Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/american_indian_stories_se - All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/american_indian_stories_se/chapters