In the Footsteps of Crazy Horse

Crazy Horse’s surrender at Fort Robinson marks the fulfillment of his progress along The Journey of Personal Growth and Understanding. From his beginning as the naïve boy Light Hair, he grew into a leader who understood the importance of courage on the battlefield in support of his community. Now, that self-understanding has advanced a step further. Unlike the other Lakota warriors, whose singing marks their defiance and wish to continue fighting, Crazy Horse has learned that real courage requires sacrificing one’s own honor and desires to help those in need. Nyles’s comment that surrendering was the bravest thing Crazy Horse ever did emphasizes the irony at the heart of Crazy Horse’s courageous yielding, making his sacrifice even more pronounced and heroic.

Crazy Horse’s calm and determined demeanor during his surrender reinforces his personal development into adulthood. As evidenced by the incident with the cow earlier in the novel, this sort of encounter between the Lakota and the Long Knives can easily erupt into violence. Crazy Horse’s leadership during this time shows that he has learned from these previous incidents and grown into a man capable of handling them without bloodshed. The symbolism of Crazy Horse's rifle and horse (See: Symbols & Motifs) punctuates the melancholy nature of the scene. When he gives up the rifle, he gives up his ability to resist the Long Knives, and in giving up his horse, he gives up his chance to ever again ride free.

The novel’s description of the Lakota leader’s death emphasizes his status as a martyr by focusing on his self-sacrifice and spiritual nature. Even though he had already surrendered, Crazy Horse’s death reinforces the fact that he gave absolutely everything—even his life—for the vulnerable members of his community. The bitter irony of him giving up everything to save his people, only for other Lakota to play a pivotal role in his death, adds to the tragic nature of his ending. The fact that his death fulfils his childhood dream provides a mystical aspect to his final characterization, cementing his status as both a real-life man and a legendary figure in Lakota culture and history.

After completing his tragic tale, Grandpa Nyles’s warrior song conveys a sense of closure over Crazy Horse’s life, while imbuing that ending with hope. Nyles’s song parallels the song of the young warriors before the surrender at Fort Robinson, echoing their defiance and demonstrating that the Lakota are still free in spirit, no matter the horrors of what happened in the past. His song shows that, even to this day, no one has managed to take that Lakota free spirit away. Nyles’s description of his time with Jimmy as a “visionary journey” recalls Crazy Horse’s own prophetic vision of the future, once more bonding the three Lakota men together across the generations.

Jimmy’s final confrontation with the bullies Corky and Jesse marks how much self-worth and confidence he has gained by discovering The Importance of Cultural Heritage and Identity. By both starting and ending the story with the bullies, the novel shows how much Jimmy has changed over the course of the narrative. At the beginning, he was shy and insecure, but now Jimmy emulates the bravery of his role model Crazy Horse when standing up to Corky and Jesse. When Jimmy turns and faces the bullies, he literalizes Grandpa Nyles’s words about having enough courage to “face” his fears, revealing how much he has internalized his grandfather’s teachings and found courage in his own identity.

Jimmy’s ability to defeat the bullies without violence shows that he has also learned from Crazy Horse that fighting cannot solve every problem. Instead, Jimmy succeeds with self-assurance and a cool head: two things he formerly lacked but gained during his journey. The focus on Jimmy’s memory of his time with Grandpa Nyles underlines the importance of remembering the past and how that can help guide future actions. The Jimmy that leaves the novel is far different than the one who entered it; he has made tremendous strides toward finding himself and growing up.