In addition, Black Elk Speaks follows the plot line of traditional quest literature, exemplified in many epics and fairy tales. The central character of such literature is a hero whose search to fulfill his or her unique destiny forms the trajectory of the plot. The obstacles and the support that he or she encounters on the way form episodes of the plot. Most quest literature ends happily, with the hero having attained the desired goal, which is often something brought back to share with the community: In The Odyssey, for example, Odysseus brings the rule of law to the Greeks after surviving many dangers to travel home after the Trojan Wars. In this way, the hero of quest literature frequently coalesces the identity of the community and his or her character serves as a model. In the case of Black Elk Speaks, the quest ends tragically. He cannot attain his goal, not because of flaws in his own character, but because of uncontrollable external forces, namely the expansionist drive of white people. Despite the evidence of history, Black Elk does blame himself for his inability to enact the power his vision has granted him to affirm the identity of his people, to make the tree or sacred stick flower, to restore the sacred hoop of his nation.
But Black Elk Speaks is not just the story of one man; Black Elk himself says that if it were, it would not be a story worth telling. It is also the history of the Sioux during his lifetime. As a description of tribal life, the novel can be classified as an ethnography, an anthropological examination of the life practices of a particular cultural group. Black Elk's story is especially valuable from an ethnographic standpoint because it covers the Sioux's transition from pre-reservation to reservation life. His story includes descriptions of hunting, butchering, cooking practices, ceremonies and rituals related to hunting, healing, and fertility, especially the great sun dance; it depicts Indian behavior at war, in courtship, and at play; and it offers a privileged glimpse into the Indians' spiritual and social life. It records some of the central events of American history from the striking perspective of the Oglala Sioux: the Battle of Little Bighorn, the establishment of Indian agencies and reservations, the ghost dance phenomenon, and the Wounded Knee massacre.
