The Grass Dancer Study Guide consists of approx. 102 pages of summaries and analysis on The Grass Dancer by Susan Power. Browse the literature study guide below:
The Grass Dancers is set in North Dakota on the Dakota Sioux reservation. The book is a bildungsroman, or coming of age story, of two of the principal characters, Harley Wind Soldier and Charlene Thunder. The novel explores how family, friends and ancestors influence the character and choices of these two protagonists. Harley Wind Soldier is a descendent of a Dakota Sioux named Ghost Horse, who lived in the late 1800s, at a time when the Sioux were just beginning to be eradicated by the U.S. cavalry. Charlene Thunder, likewise, is a descendent of a Sioux woman named Red Dress, who is killed by the white man and who is deeply loved by Ghost Horse. The lives of these two still influence their present-day descendents. This is a complexly woven tale, which incorporates elements of Indian lore and fantasy but which, in the end, tells a simple story of how two young people manage to break away from the influences of tribe and family to become their own persons. (read more)
