The essential questions here are:

a. What strategies can an oppressed people use to liberate themselves?

b. Which approach(es) worked best, and which approach(es) worked poorly, for Native Americans?

Subsidiary Questions:

a .What were the U.S. policies toward Native Americans (during the period of 1920-1950) which negatively affected the characters in this novel?

b. What are some of the approaches which may be taken by a group of people who have been robbed of their land and, subsequently, oppressed , in order to try to deal with the situation (i.e., acculturation, passive resistance, militancy, agree to act as a second class citizen, validate your culture, self-hatred etc.)

c. Which of the above-named approaches are successful, which self-destructive, and why?