In Lakota Woman, I noticed some interesting occurrences between Mary, her siblings, and their mother. It was so interesting that Mary's mother was raised a Christian, as she was from the generation of Native Americans that were forced to conform to Christianity. Her mother having Christian values really throws a wrench into the works of Mary trying to find a place in the world. Not only is her mother more old fashioned than her, but she is also much more Christian.
When talking of her sisters' pregnancy's I felt sorry that Mary's family not only had to deal with the hardships of being singled out in society as Native Americans but also with their mother not accepting their way of life, which often was more Native American than their own. The generational differences in the story are not just similar to typical mother/daughter relationships, but have other people tampering with their relationship. Mary's mother was forced into Christianity, and new ways of life, and Mary was trying to rebel against all the forces that had made things this way.
There is also the issue of no real permanent father figure for Mary, at least when we meet her. Her husband Leo eventually becomes the most positive and permanent man in the story, but to me, that was Mary once again creating her own fate. I think she went out and changed what she wanted to for herself and her life.
It is interesting however, that Mary ends up following many of the ways of past Native Americans, while her mother never truly did so. It may attribute to the fact that times were harder on her mother, or it may even be because Mary had a fighting spirit her mother never did. Regardless the differences between Mary and her mother are not just gerational, they are national.
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