A Reflection on Billy Mill’s Thoughts and Actions

Billy Mills is without a doubt a very relatable character. He portrays and depicts various aspects of life that virtually everyone encounters at some point. Many of the challenges he faces are familiar to all college students who strive to better themselves in one way or another. Bullying and discrimination are only a few of the hardships Billy Mills faces. These factors play a significant role in both his external and his internal journey.

Once he leaves his home to go study at the University of Kansas, on a track and field scholarship, his external journey begins. After taking the bus ride to his destination and having a little trouble figuring out the exact location of where needed to be, he was finally there. The first thing he did upon his arrival was run on the track and train for future races. When he finished, there was an unpleasant surprise waiting for him in his dorm room. It is there that he learns that he will be sharing a room with the guy he had already had a problem with in the locker room. Later on, he goes to a formal dinner activity where he meets a few people who matter in his being there. His first race also took place and despite the fact that he won, his coach wasn’t completely satisfied with his performance. He made the decision of slowing down at the very end of the race because he did not want to embarrass the one person who could understand his situation the most, another Indian. He thought it was enough to win but he was supposed to give it his all, not take his opponent into consideration.

During his internal journey, Mills questions the way white people think and notices the difference between the ideals and values he holds dear, versus those of the people he is now surrounded with. He has a flashback about his father, who said “It’s a white world and Indian things don’t matter so much…” The viewer can share his frustration on the racism he experiences. He also reflects on why he runs and how it makes him feel, “Ever since I was a kid, running was my freedom, my happiness…” But eventually he learns that the people around him see running or track and field as a means to an end. Winning above all is what’s important, in other words being better than the one beside you. Mills considers what he is told by his coach, applies it to himself and starts to adapt to the new world he is thrust into.

 It is evident that both his external and internal journey are intermingled because he reflects on his actions and thinks about the things that take place in his life. On the other hand, Mills reflects on the events that are about to happen and this in turn affects his external journey. For example, before the end of his race, Mills thought about what he wanted the outcome to be, which affected his external journey. Moreover, the talk he later had with his coach affected how his internal journey would unravel from that point forth.