Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee

by

Dee Brown

Young Joseph Character Analysis

Nez Percé chief and son of Old Joseph, who led a heroic but failed resistance to the U.S. military. Joseph is typical of Native American chiefs of the era: he first tried to cooperate with the U.S. government, then he tried to fight the military, then he and his people fled, and ultimately he surrendered when his followers ran out of food. He later died on a reservation, supposedly of a “broken heart.”
Get the entire Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee LitChart as a printable PDF.
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee PDF

Young Joseph Character Timeline in Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee

The timeline below shows where the character Young Joseph appears in Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 13: The Flight of the Nez Percés
Law and Property Theme Icon
Resistance and Violence Theme Icon
...important chief, Old Joseph, refused to sign. After Old Joseph’s death in 1871, his son, Young Joseph , became an important chief. He refused to cooperate with the government agents, claiming that... (full context)
Law and Property Theme Icon
...on the land, and that their bodies themselves were a part of the land. However, Young Joseph lacked the manpower to defend his people from the U.S. military. Troops marched his peoples... (full context)
Law and Property Theme Icon
Young Joseph was trapped: he could either refuse to comply with the U.S. and face extermination, or... (full context)
Law and Property Theme Icon
Resistance and Violence Theme Icon
...Sherman chased the Nez Percé through the Park, and sent the Crows north to ambush Young Joseph ’s troops. In September 1877, the Crows battled the Nez Percé, resulting in heavy casualties... (full context)
Law and Property Theme Icon
Resistance and Violence Theme Icon
Young Joseph and his remaining followers fled to Canada and united with Sitting Bull. In Canada, Young... (full context)