Ignorance In Zitkala Sa's The School Days Of An Indian Girl

The Presence of Ignorance in American Literature The dictionary definition of ignorance is a lack of knowledge or information, but a more relatable defining of the word is to disregard what is obvious to one’s own or another’s detriment. Ignorance was such a common trait among people during the time period from 1865 to the early 1900s, that it popped up not only in the literature, but also in historical events. A majority of individuals from history did not see their follies until the consequences of their naivety was upon them; such as, those moving out west failed to realize the lack of trees for lumber would negatively affect their ability to build homes and towns. Many living through the Civil War in the South were unaware of the fact
In Zitkala Sa’s “The School Days of an Indian Girl”, Zitkala herself was ill-informed to the intentions of the white people. She ignored her mother’s wishes for her not to go to the assimilation school, and because of that, when she returned home her mother could see her “suffering” with being back in her Indian culture (Sa 1099). Zitkala’s newfound unfamiliarity with both her Native American and white culture caused her to be unhappy in either culture. Another case of ignorance leading to discontent was in Mary E. Wilkins Freeman’s “A New England Nun”. Joe Dagget spent “fourteen out of…fifteen years” of their engagement “in Australia, where he had gone to make his fortune” (Freeman 656). Dagget was selfish in his thinking that Louisa would be patiently waiting for him at home, still as in love with him as she was before. In fact, Louisa felt “consternation” when she first saw the man she was to marry (Freeman 657). The misinformation given in this case, led to the misery of two people, no longer in love, but who both felt they owed it to the other to continue on with the marriage. In all these cases, ignorance of the truth was the root of each character’s displeasure in their