This motif helps to illuminate the themes of identity and belonging and white perceptions of Indians. For the characters in the novel, Indian identity is always unstable and incomplete, something that they feel they must acquire, display, or prove. John routinely fantasizes about being “real Indian.” Sometimes this means receiving nods and gestures of acceptance from other Indians, but often it takes the form of fantasies and hallucinations in which he has attributes stereotypically seen as Indian: long flowing hair, an affinity with the natural world, and a capacity to draw on mystical powers. Significantly, these qualities of “real” Indian identity are often drawn from white perceptions of Indians as reflected in popular media because John has no connection to actual Indian communities.

Another aspect of John’s perception of what a “real” Indian is, and why he does not qualify as such, is growing up on a reservation and learning traditional song, dance, and, especially, language. He regularly fantasizes about how his life would have been different if he had been raised on a reservation, presenting an idealized view of reservation life filled with community and belonging and stripped of the poverty and social issues experienced on many actual reservations.