Dances with Wolves

Dances with Wolves

This film takes place during the 1860s, a time where the Civil War was being fought in America. The film begins with Lieutenant Dunbar being wounded in battle, but he makes the choice of wanting to die rather than having his leg removed. His plan was to ride up to enemy lines which helps the Union Army in attacking the Confederates. Because of his great contribution in the attack, he receives the horse he rode, called Cisco, and a choice of his posting. Dunbar chooses  to go to the western frontier to find himself and to experience the great plains before it is lost in history. Dunbar’s new major in Fort Hays is not fond of him and assigns Dunbar to a remote fort, called Fort Sedgwick, where he discovers desertion. Dunbar travels with a man called Timmons, but Timmons is killed by Indians.  Rather than abandoning his post, the courageous lieutenant stays alone, awaiting other white pioneers and is unknowingly stranded in Indian territory. From what the lieutenant knows, based off white stereotypes, Indians are begging, savage thieves, who are dirty and take pleasure in killing whites. During his lonely stay at the frontier, Dunbar has only Cisco, and his new companion, "Two Socks," a friendly wolf.  A group of Sioux Indians who live nearby to Dunar attempt to steal Cisco. This encourages him to seek out their territory to attempt to talk to them. On his journey he encounters a white daughter of a Sioux indian, called Stands-With-A-Fist. Out of sadness over the loss of her husband she is hurting herself. Dunbar returns her home to her Sioux people where some of them begin to respect him. Dunbar and Stands-With-A-Fist’s father, Kicking Bird, attempt speaking to each other but due to their language differences are unable to communicate until Stands-With-A-Fist steps in as a translator. She struggles with the english language due to not having spoken it since her childhood before her family was murdered. As he spends more time with the Sioux he learns that the previous rumors her once believed about them were untrue and grows fond of the tribe. Dunbar begins hunting and participating in other activities with the tribe and even learning their language. Later Dunbar is honored to have his name changed to "Dances with Wolves," after being watched as he and Two- Socks played together. Dunbar helps to defend the Sioux against the Pawnee Indians and this gains him the privilege to marry