Finding and retaining cultural identity and self identity has been a struggle for many American Indians since the colonial era. Robert J. Conley's compelling novel, Mountain Windsong, explores the struggle to retain identity in the context of adversity. This issue is still relevant today as American Indians deal with identity issues in a dominant and always encroaching culture.Fox's analysis is a critical examination of Conley's seminal novel and its interpretation and an analysis of identity in the context of major adversity: the government enforced travail known as The Trail of Tears