Billy Mill's Internal/ External Journey

Assignment #1: Consider the internal and external journey that Billy Mill's experienced and describe both. How were his internal and external journeys related, i.e. how did they influence each other? Be sure to reflect on his decisions and the outcome of the race.

Billy Mill a regular boy with and extraordinary talent, running. From early on in the movie, Running Brave, Billy's external journey is revealed as he constantly struggles against prejudice, since he is a Native American. Billy's life in the reserve is completely different from the "white world" outside and coping with these differences in culture, language and sense of "sameness" are Billy's external journey. Billy's identity doesn't fit his peer's preconceived notion of normal. As his identity continues to be questioned Billy faces his internal journey: to continue to stand by his values and culture or to let them go in order to accept the "white world" ways. 

As seen through this example, the internal and external journey will always be connected in some way or other. Billy's struggles begins with being considered for a scholarship to attend college. The coach who is making the decision doesn't want to choose Billy on the basis that his heritage will affect his development as an athlete and he will eventually quit to go back to the reserve where he came from, even though he is clearly a gifted runner. People around Billy strongly believe that Native Americans don't have what it takes to fit in and survive outside the comfort of their reserve. To the surprise of everyone, Billy decides to take the challenge to attend college in Kansas and keep doing what he loves, running. Once there, he's team makes fun of him and his coach encourages him to compete in a dirty way. Either way Billy always decides to think about his values and history and makes the right choice. This is where both the internal and external journey join. 

Billy's external journey, the circumstances he is in and the choices he makes, affect his internal journey which is what he feels and his process of deciding how to react to his external journey. As he explains, his dad greatly inspired him to think about his heart and desires, which in part shape his decision-making and how handle his emotions. For Billy running is his escape from the world. Running is his way of dealing with his internal journey, because he feels free from prejudice, awful treatments and the white world. We see in his first race after arriving at college that even though he is encouraged to play dirty and win this way, Billy goes on to win fairly. Billy wants to prove to the whites that he can and will fit in without abandoning his culture. He believes he can unite both worlds and obtain from each what is important, as his father did being white and living in the reserve. A perfect example is Billy’s father's funeral where both a catholic service and a Native American ritual where administered before he was buried. I believe Billy's journey (internal and external) is summarised as achieving a balance between both cultures and ways of life. A hard task that will definitely change his identity forever.  

Fun facts: 

• Mills won the gold medal in the 1964 Olympic Games held in Tokyo.
• Mills brought home the first gold medal won by any American in the 10,000-meter race, and was a source of pride for Native Americans. 
• The only Louis Tewanima, also Native American, is the other person to ever win in the event; bringing home a silver medal on 1912.