The construction of identity in Native American literature tends to depend on the trope of alienation. The protagonists must therefore come to terms with their condition of exile/alienation and disengage from the world to regain the meaning of their pre-colonial life. Using the plight of the American Indians, the authors expose the effects of decolonization and how individuals must undergo a process of recovery. Under these circumstances, the characters are able to recover knowledge of a tribal self that has been distorted by years of oppression. Through Welch and Alexie's Flight's Winter in the Blood and The Heartsong of Charging Elk, we see how the protagonists suffer from the tensions of living on the fringes of conflicting societies and how they must overcome their alienations to reconnect with a native. identity. In Winter in the Blood, Welch's unnamed narrator continually strives for self-knowledge, but is hindered by a highly disconnected past, present, and future. In his multiple destabilizing events, the narrator is unable to connect to a cultural or spiritual center, which inevitably denies him a coherent identity. Throughout the novel he is denied the explanation of his real grandfather, because "First Raise remained so long ago", and other memories in his mind because "his memory fails him" (Winter 21, 19). However, the only event the narrator can remember is that “when the old lady told this story, many years ago, her eyes were not flat and dim; they were black as a spider's belly and their little black hands drew triumphant images in the air” (Winter 36). His memory is based on the premise of the narrative, which takes on the traditional aspect of Native American culture. While... middle of paper... "he loved... he hated... he betrayed... [and] the people who [betrayed him]", he understands that "we are all the same people" ( Flight 130). The novel thus comes full circle in Zit's awareness and, ultimately, urges his new adoptive mother to "please call me Michael" (Flight 181). However, both Welch and Alexie challenge dominant constructions of Native identity in their attempts to dismantle all forms. of identity (both within and outside indigenous cultures). By deconstructing the stereotypical tribal experience, Zits, Charging Elk, and the Storyteller offer a more loosely defined model of Native American identity. Each character is thus freed from the ascribed colonial identities and is able to take on a more ahistorical one. By taking on this model, the protagonists subvert the artificial distinction of society and reveal the true identity of the contemporary Indian.