Suvas Mistry Elizabeth Pennington January 2nd, 2015 Sherman Alexie and the Modern Native in “War Dances” Sherman Alexie’s work is some of the most insightful and hard-hitting exploration of the modern Native American experience in literature today. In his book War Dances, Alexie seeks to navigate the various responsibilities and anxieties of white and Native culture and everything in between, trying to balance a sense of traditionalism and loyalty to his people with the creature comforts and advances of Western medicine. In the story of the same name within the book, “War Dances,” Alexie explores these issues in a humorous way, mixing the grief of losing his father with sarcastic jokes poking fun at the modern Native experience, as well as …show more content…
Alexie’s tale mostly explores the fact that white subjugation of Native Americans has led to a marginalization of Native Americans in modern culture, leading them to be holed up in small, poor reservations with broken-down pickup trucks and an ongoing problem with alcoholism. Citizens of ‘the rez’ have to deal with these issues every day, as well as the ancient stereotypes about peace pipes and firewater that continue to plague them. Alexie’s perspective is to treat that marginalization with humor, rolling with the punches and admitting the grain of truth that occurs in many stereotypes (Nelson, 2010). In one scene, when he asks another Indian in the hospital if he owns a blanket, he angers the man, who replies: “You’re stereotyping your own damn people…But damn if we don’t have a room full of Pendleton blankets” (Alexie). In this moment, the Native in question both admits to the stereotype and rebels against its use, as Natives have to navigate this confusing world of 21st century technology and the desire to keep alive the traditions of the
In this essay, McFarland discusses Native American poetry and Sherman Alexie’s works. He provides an overview of Alexie’s writing in both his poems and short stories. A brief analysis of Alexie’s use of humor is also included.
Professor and poet Deborah A. Miranda, pieces together the past and uncovers and presents us with a story--a Californian story--in her memoir, “Bad Indians.” Her use of the Christian Novena, “Novena to Bad Indians,” illustrates the irony of using the form of her oppressors as a call out for help, not to God, but to her past ancestors. We tend to think of religion as a form of salvation and redemption of our lives here on Earth, in which we bare down and ask for forgiveness. But by challenging this common discourse using theological allegories and satirical terminology, Miranda turns her attention away from a Deity to call the reader out for help. It is crucial to recognize the struggles that the Native community currently face. Californian Indians are often not given recognition for their identity and their heritage, and are also repeatedly stereotyped as abusive, alcoholic, uncivilized, and “freeloaders” of the United States government. Such generalizations root back from European colonization, nevertheless still linger in our contemporary society. Miranda has taken the first step forward in characterizing few of these stereotypes in her Novena, but she’s given her story. Now what are we going to do with ours? It’s up to us to create our
“War Dances” by Sherman Alexi has a theme about the patrimony of the Native American Indian culture and the narrator’s struggle in relation to that identity. This story shows the perspective of the narrator and what it means to be human. He struggles with his dad dying a “natural Indian death” from alcohol and diabetes just as he learns that he himself may have a brain tumor.
Sherman Alexie grew up in Wellpinit, Washington as a Spokane/Coeur d’Alene tribal member (Sherman Alexie). He began his personal battle with substance abuse in 1985 during his freshman year at Jesuit Gonzaga University. The success of his first published work in 1990 incentivized Alexie to overcome his alcohol abuse. “In his short-story and poetry collections, Alexie illuminates the despair, poverty, and alcoholism that often shape the lives of Native Americans living on reservations” (Sherman Alexie). When developing his characters, Alexie often gives them characteristics of substance abuse, poverty and criminal behaviors in an effort to evoke sadness with his readers. Alexie utilizes other art forms, such as film, music, cartoons, and the print media, to bombard mainstream distortion of Indian culture and to redefine Indianness. “Both the term Indian and the stereotypical image are created through histories of misrepresentation—one is a simulated word without a tribal real and the other an i...
Culture has the power and ability to give someone spiritual and emotional distinction which shapes one's identity. Without culture, society would be less and less diverse. Culture is what gives this earth warmth and color that expands across miles and miles. The author of “The School Days of an Indian Girl”, Zitkala Sa, incorporates the ideals of Native American culture into her writing. Similarly, Sherman Alexie sheds light onto the hardships he struggled through growing up on the Spokane Indian Reservation in his book The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven in a chapter titled “Indian Education”.
Stereotypes dictate a certain group in either a good or bad way, however more than not they give others a false interpretation of a group. They focus on one factor a certain group has and emphasize it drastically to the point that any other aspect of that group becomes lost. Media is one of the largest factors to but on blame for the misinterpretation of groups in society. In Ten Little Indians, there are many stereotypes of Native Americans in the short story “What You Pawn I Will Redeem”. The story as a whole brings about stereotypes of how a Native American in general lives and what activities they partake in. By doing so the author, Alexie Sherman, shows that although stereotypes maybe true in certain situations, that stereotype is only
The article, “Assimilation Era” by Dr. C. Blue Clark, illuminates the effects upon Native American society as the culture modernizes to meet up to the new American culture. Also, the article, “Native American Music” by Encyclopaedia Britannica, introduces some of the Native American cultural identities which often include traditions of music and chants. Continuing to understand Native American culture, the article, “Stereotypes” from “Indian Country Diaries” by PBS, depicts the jaded depiction and harsh stereotypes the cultural group faces in the modern world. Paired with these three analytical essays, the short story “Do Not Go Gentle” by Sherman Alexie, which tells the story of an Native American couple who deals with the illness of their young son within the modern era, the ideas of the modern Native American
Whites are responsible for the murder of millions of Natives- almost the whole population. In order to cope with their resentment towards whites and the poverty and alcoholism that plagued the reservations, Native Americans developed strategies to survive reservation life. In The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, Sherman Alexie shows through several interconnected short stories that Native Americans can improve their current situations and live more fulfilling lives through humor, community gatherings, and by demonstrating compassion and forgiveness towards one another.
McNickle, D'Arcy. "A Different World." Native American Literature: A Brief Introduction and Anthology. Ed. Vizenor, Gerald. United States of America: Addison-Wesley Educational Publishers, 1995, 111-119.
In the excerpt from Sherman Alexie’s novel, Alexie adopted the persona of an young boy named Junior. Junior’s blunt phrases such as, “What a bastard, huh?” demonstrate his comedic awkwardness but serve a greater purpose for the reader. Alexie’s use of Junior’s shocking remarks are meant to destigmatize Junior’s exposure of prejudice. Therefore, despite Junior’s blatant awkwardness, his sayings work to fulfill the writing’s ultimate purpose: to show the unfair treatment towards Native Americans.
For example, in the local school, stereotypes such as the image of the ‘wild man’ are consolidated by claiming that there was cannibalism among the indigenous people of the northwest coast (Soper-Jones 2009, 20; Robinson 2010, 68f.). Moreover, native people are still considered to be second-class citizens, which is pointed out by Lisamarie’s aunt Trudy, when she has been harassed by some white guys in a car: “[Y]ou’re a mouthy Indian, and everyone thinks we’re born sluts. Those guys would have said you were asking for it and got off scot-free”
A warrior is recognized as sonmeone who battles for his/her beliefs. Even after receiving mortal wounds many times, such a person never leaves the battlefield. However, the inspiring and metaphorical idea of a warrior can certainly extend beyond the actual battlefield, and into the universal battle of living life. A woman must face this world like a warrior. She must endure the pain of a past that oppressed her, the adversity of a present that is only beginning to understand her, and a future that will continuously test her. From the beginning of time, Native American women have been a driving force in their cultures, retaining their immense strength throughout centuries of exploitation. Mothers and grandmothers held the family together with their gentle power, and medicine women were the local psychologists, therapists, physicians, and marriage counselors to entire tribes. In The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, Sherman Alexie's short story collection about life on the Spokane Indian reservation, Alexie depicts characters that are world-wearied and heavy with 500 years worth of humiliation and rejection. They have lived their lives in the confines of the reservation, resorting to alcohol, depression, and frustration. However, these women seek to hold together, both spiritually and generatively, the fabric of a culture that is assaulted on all sides. They are warrior-like in their determination to battle the hardships of their lives, all while holding their families and their heritage together with great compassion and spirit.
In “This Is What It Means To Say Phoenix, Arizona,” Alexie creates a story that captures the common stereotypes of Native Americans. For instance, in the story the narrator states, “Who does have money on a reservation, except the cigarette and fireworks salespeople?” (Alexie). This quotation shows that the narrator addresses the idea that all Native Americans must own businesses that sell fireworks and/ or cigarettes in order to be successful. In this example, Victor is shown to not identify with the Native Americans because he does not pursue the same job opportunities as many Native Americans do. Victor's character is used as a contrast to the stereotypes that , there he represents reality. Another instance in which the author incorporates a stereotype about Native Americans is when Thomas-Builds-the-Fire first makes conversation with Victor. Thomas-Builds-the-Fire informs Victor about the news of Victor's ...
As Harrison concludes, “Then again, maybe the Western has one life left, one that involves the Indians finally telling their own story” (Harrison 217). These stories came to life with the passion of one who knows what they are talking about, namely educated individuals who happen to be tribal members of their respective nations. Native Americans face similar struggles just like the rest of Americans, and in the short story, “This is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona”, Victor laments, “Whatever happened to the tribal ties, the sense of community? The only real thing he shared was a bottle and broken dreams” (Alexie 253). The plight of Native American authors and directors to get the truth out about what really goes on inside of reservations is encouraging and also gives myself and many Native Americans great hope that many people will be more informed. Also that this would cause a great season of healing to come upon the people of the United States would continue to
Louise Erdrich’s short story “American horse” is a literary piece written by an author whose works emphasize the American experience for a multitude of different people from a plethora of various ethnic backgrounds. While Erdrich utilizes a full arsenal of literary elements to better convey this particular story to the reader, perhaps the two most prominent are theme and point of view. At first glance this story seems to portray the struggle of a mother who has her son ripped from her arms by government authorities; however, if the reader simply steps back to analyze the larger picture, the theme becomes clear. It is important to understand the backgrounds of both the protagonist and antagonists when analyzing theme of this short story. Albetrine, who is the short story’s protagonist, is a Native American woman who characterizes her son Buddy as “the best thing that has ever happened to me”. The antagonist, are westerners who work on behalf of the United States Government. Given this dynamic, the stage is set for a clash between the two forces. The struggle between these two can be viewed as a microcosm for what has occurred throughout history between Native Americans and Caucasians. With all this in mind, the reader can see that the theme of this piece is the battle of Native Americans to maintain their culture and way of life as their homeland is invaded by Caucasians. In addition to the theme, Erdrich’s usage of the third person limited point of view helps the reader understand the short story from several different perspectives while allowing the story to maintain the ambiguity and mysteriousness that was felt by many Natives Americans as they endured similar struggles. These two literary elements help set an underlying atmos...