Review of the novel “Black Elk Speaks” from the perspective of Christianity with an emphasis on the influence Christianity has had on the Lakota Sioux.
The characters in John Neihardt’s Black Elk Speaks cross a multitude of literary representations, symbols and metaphors. Although one can say that each of these characters or representations are unique to the Lakota Sioux, and indeed represent what is unique about Native American heritage in general, This paper will focus more on how these representations and characters reflect the Christian influence upon the Lakota Sioux. Throughout Black Elk Speaks, many Christian parallels may be found and this paper will highlight several of them.