# A Trip Westward explained — American Indian Stories > Chapter companion for American Indian Stories by Zitkála-Šá. ## What happens The narrator, exhausted from overwork, is sent West by the superintendent to recruit Indian pupils for the school. She travels to her mother's home, reflecting on the changing landscape and her own fatigue. Upon arrival, she reunites with her mother, who reveals that her brother Dawée has lost his government position due to speaking out for the tribe. The narrator struggles with despair and questions the justice of the Great Spirit, while her mother maintains her faith. ## Themes in this chapter ### Loss of Identity and Belonging The narrator feels displaced and exhausted, caught between her Eastern school life and her return to the reservation. Her mother's home, though familiar, reveals the erosion of their family's stability and Dawée's lost position. ### Colonial Violence and Injustice Dawée's loss of his government job for seeking justice for the tribe illustrates the systemic oppression and retaliation against Native Americans who assert their rights. ### Spirituality vs. Christianity The narrator's crisis of faith contrasts with her mother's steadfast prayer to the Great Spirit, highlighting a tension between traditional spirituality and the narrator's despair. ## Character check-ins ### Mother The narrator's mother, who lives in a log cabin and teepee, maintains traditional ways while making compromises with white customs. She reveals that Dawée lost his job for seeking justice for the tribe. ### Dawée The narrator's brother, formerly a government clerk, who lost his position after trying to secure justice for the tribe. ## Key lines > I am going to turn you loose to pasture! The superintendent is sending me West to recruit Indian students for the school. _The superintendent's metaphor reflects the dehumanizing view of the narrator as a resource to be used._ > Dawée! Oh, has he not told you that the Great Father at Washington sent a white son to take your brother's pen from him? The U.S. government replaced Dawée with a white employee, causing him to lose his job. _Highlights the colonial practice of displacing Native Americans from government positions._ > Mother, don't pray again! The Great Spirit does not care if we live or die! The narrator, in despair, tells her mother not to pray because she believes the Great Spirit is indifferent to their suffering. _Shows the narrator's spiritual crisis and loss of hope._ ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/american_indian_stories_se/chapters/ii-a-trip-westward - Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/american_indian_stories_se - All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/american_indian_stories_se/chapters