Published in 1932, the novel Black Elk Speaks is the life story of a holy man of the Oglala Sioux, as told through John Neihardt. In a long series of discussions between the two men, Black Elk imparted his own story and the story of the Oglala Sioux during the tragic decades of the Custer battle, the ghost dance, and the Wounded Knee massacre.
             The central theme of Black Elk Speaks can be found on the first page of the book. The statement, " These things I shall remember by the way, and often they seem to be the very tale itself, as when I was living them in happiness and sorrow," made by Black Elk is the heart of the story. Black Elk presents the tale of his life in this historical narrative. He tells us about the challenges, heartache, and despair that he and his people endured as the white man and his capitalistic society overtook their own. Frolicking youth and aging wise men alike play a part in Black Elk's personal journey of growth and maturity. Black Elk does not lose sight of this goal. His mind does not occupy itself in the present; rather, it is caught up in the fight for his future. Even though the Wasichus came and reigned terror that might have consumed his life, he always kept the bigger picture in mind. Black Elk knew that true happiness did not lie in this world for him, but in the life beyond. "These things," as Black Elk calls them, are the particulars. These particulars, "often may seem to be the very tale itself... living them in happiness and sorrow," make the content of his daily life, but he doesn't let these particulars take charge of him and guide him through his life. Instead he focuses on the "very tale itself," which is a universal. The daily trails which he faced in seeking his sustenance he used to refine the values of his deep inner principles. Black Elk used the particulars to refine his universals. Focusing on these universals was Black Elk's at...