What are the main themes in the biography, Crazy Horse: Great Warrior of the Sioux?

Two themes dominate the plot of Garst's biographical novel. The first is the rites-of-passage theme, a universal literary theme dealing with the experiences and trials that a young person must go through before gaining wisdom and maturity. The other theme concerns the tragic fate of both Crazy Horse and the Sioux nation: the cultural clash between the white and the Native American worlds. The U.S. government and its army force the Sioux onto the reservations while Crazy Horse and his fellow warriors fight to keep their lands and preserve their way of life. Inevitably and tragically, one culture must give way to the other, resulting in a great and irretrievable loss.