Joy Harjos search for identity

Joy Harjo has always been conscious of her gift by stating, “I was entrusted with carrying voices, songs, and stories to grow and release into the world, to be of assistance and inspiration. These were my responsibility” (Harjo 20). In her memoir Crazy Brave, Joy Harjo uses vivid memories, poetry, and dreams to portray her struggles and growth into the strong successful woman she is today. The book starts in her early childhood when she discovers her connection to music and the spiritual world. The sections “East “ and “North” of her memoir contain crucial moments that have molded Joy’s life while on a mission to find her sense of identity. Joy seems to struggle with her identity in much of the first two sections; these struggles with identity come from her gender, race, and family life. While her struggles make a significant impact on the person she is today, the way in which she overcame these struggles is what molds her character and view on life. Joy Harjo found refuge during adolescence in books, music, and poetry, which eventually saved her life. Pivotal moments in Harjo’s life are depicted in the sections “East” and “North” in Crazy Brave, that have impacted her developing sense of identity and her growing desire for independence.
Joy learns at a young age that her race was not socially accepted when she started attending the Catholic Church. This passage effects her developing sense of self and her Native American identity. Joy started attending an evangelical bible school in Kindergarten and later explains in the section “North” how she was discriminated for being Native American. She explains, “Most of the children at Church wouldn’t sit with me because I was Indian and my parents were divorced. But I grew to love Bible stories and I hungered for God knowledge” (Harjo 77). Joy knew she did not belong to the Catholic Church, but it was there that she discovered her love for God and was intrigued to read the Bible; “I decided to read the Bible through,