Now go like an Indian, True Son. Give me no more shame.
Before departing from his adopted son, Cuyloga urged his son to behave like a true Indian even if he were to be away from home and his family. The quote is important because every action and every decision taken by True Son from that point on is influence d by the words his father said to him. True Son tries to keep his father’s words always in his mind and every time he finds himself in a new situation he thinks about what his wise Indian father would do.
Then who is my father?
The question is put by True Son at the end of the novel, when he is told by his Indian father that he is no longer an Indian and that he will have to forget about his Indian family and be prepared to fight Indians should they meet on the battlefield. This line is devastating for True Son since all he ever wanted was to make his father proud. True Son always searched for signs and clues that could point out the fact that his father loved him and cared about him. But while True Son loved his Indian family, he also grew attached to his white one during the time he spent with them. Because of this, True Son is torn between two nations that hate one another and he unsure where he belongs. Thus, his identity crisis remains unsolved at the end of the novel and it remains unclear what will happen to True Son.
When you put these on, will you give me your Indian clothes, True Son? Then I can be an Indian.
True Son feels almost immediately affection for his younger brother even though they were not raised together and the reason why True Son feels more affection towards Geordie than the other family members is because Geordie’s innocence allows them to get along and live together without trying to change one another. Geordie is innocent and he wants to accept his brother as he is, without wanting to make him more like him and less Indian-like.
