The Jailing of Cecelia Capture, published in 1985, emerges as a compelling cultural document, offering insights into the persistent struggle for self-realization and cultural integrity among Native Americans. This narrative unfolds against the backdrop of the post-radical American Indian Movement era, where the fervor of the 1960s and 1970s had started to fade. Yet, the novel vividly illustrates that personal and cultural authenticity remains attainable, even under the overarching dominion of U.S. governance. It navigates the complex pathways of an individual striving to contribute to their community while shedding the mistaken beliefs often confused with cultural imperatives—highlighting the loneliness that accompanies such a journey.

Unflinchingly honest, the novel offers a raw portrayal of life on the reservations, sparing few details. It paints a picture of a community largely alienated from its ancestral traditions, finding it too burdensome to maintain them amidst the distractions and superficial allure of American consumer culture. The tribes depicted in the novel find themselves caught between the remnants of two distinct worlds, struggling to fully engage with either. Cecelia, the protagonist, is commended for distancing herself from her family's deteriorating environment, characterized by dilapidated mobile homes and discarded vehicles. Yet, she finds little solace in the urban American Dream, which, upon closer examination, holds little promise for genuine fulfillment.

Upward mobility, equating to material wealth, is not Cecelia's aspiration, although it seems to be her only option. Her interactions with men reveal a disappointing pattern; none perceive her true self. A fellow Native American, whom she encounters, dismisses her achievements by calling her "a squaw with an education," and even her Ivy League-educated husband, a descendant of Mayflower settlers, views her through the lens of his ancestral guilt rather than her individual identity. Ultimately, Cecelia comes to realize that her true self, embattled yet resilient, is what she must safeguard from the dual forces of cultures poised to strip her of her identity.