There is an old saying, “do not judge a book by its cover”. In the stories “Vampire in the Lemon Grove”, by Karen Russell, and “What You Pawn I Will Redeem”, by Sherman Alexie, this old saying is thoroughly represented and explained to readers. The protagonists in the two stories reveal to readers an unexpected part of their lives that cannot be ascertained at the beginning of the stories. Both stories apply the same theme: people should be careful with assumptions or stereotypes because they might be biased. In the short story “What You Pawn I Will Redeem”, Jackson, lives in a vagabond lifestyle that makes the reader surprised when he shows his determination and generosity. Jackson works hard to earn his grandmother’s regalia back. But he …show more content…
In the beginning of the story, the narrator describes his life as homeless and pathetic. He has been homeless for six years and he says, “Being homeless is probably the only thing I’ve ever been good at” (Alexie, 9). Jackson’s multiple marriages and numerous children make the reader feel like he does not take seriously his marriages and the responsibilities of being a father. Jackson has been homeless so long that he has become an expert at living on the street, without a home and connections to his family. Therefore, Jackson’s words show the reader that Jackson does not care to settle down with his family and he has not been successful in any aspect of his life, including not able to has a home of his own. Later in the story, after he gets eighty dollars from the lottery, he goes to an Indian bar and uses the money he has won to buy drinks for everyone. At the end of the story when he finally gets his grandmother’s regalia back he says, “They all watched me dance with my grandmother, I was my grandmother, dancing” (Alexie, 28). Jackson tries very hard in order to get money to buy back his grandmother’s regalia, and this is in contrast to his past …show more content…
At the beginning of the story, Clyde states that, “Most people mistake me for a small, kindly Italian grandfather….They never guess that I am a vampire” (Russell, 407). Clyde’s kindly appearance makes the readers feel like he is a friendly grandfather who quietly enjoys his time in the lemon grove. Although he tells the readers that he is a vampire, the readers have no reason to believe that Clyde has a darker side. Later in the story, when Clyde describes his feelings toward Fila, he says, “I feel a well of love for the girl” (Russell, 408). The readers can feel Clyde’s sincere affection for the girl, and because of his friendly appearance and his love for the girl, the readers cannot believe that he will do anything bad to her. Also, the book mentions that his wife has taught him that killing people is not necessary and can be stopped. However, at the end of the story, Clyde loses control of his actions and says, “It seems my hand has tightened on the girl’s wrist, and I realize with surprise, as if from a great distance, that he is twisting away” (Russell, 421). He disappoints the readers by killing the girl he once liked. From the quote, the readers can feel that Clyde splits into two sides, a side that is evil and another side that is normal. However, he seems to be
This story made me frustrated at the way people get forced into a rut that they can’t escape. Jackson Jackson isn’t completely innocent, no one is, but most of his problems were a result from the wrong that others had inflicted upon him. The frustrating part was that He was incapable of getting himself out. He did things like spend money on alcohol and cheese burgers, only to end up throwing it all up and even less money. To me, this story is about redemption. Jackson received grace from people like the good cop, and the pawnbroker. None of his own efforts changed his situation, only the kindness of others changed him. These kind deeds helped reconcile the reality of Jackson’ life and his situation. In a story like this, I always hope for a
You learn early on in the story that Jackson Jackson has not had the best life. He flunked out of college in Seattle, was married two or three times and has fathered a few children and is now homeless. Jackson admits that “Being homeless is probably the only thing I've ever been good at” and refers to himself as an “effective homeless man”. Also we learn that Jackson has some kind of mental disorder “an...
He has an internal conflict because he wants to save money to buy back his grandmother’s regalia from the pawnbroker, but he also wants to share his money and he receives money throughout the story. “‘I’m hoping, and I don’t know why I’m hoping it, but I hope you can turn thirty bucks into a thousand somehow.’ ‘I believe in magic.’ ‘I believe you’ll take my money and get drunk on it’” (Alexie para 230). When he receives money, he always ends up spending it on alcohol and sometimes spends it on food. He never spends all his money on himself. Jackson has a man versus nature conflict and a man versus man made environment conflict. His man vs. man made environment conflict occurs when he is too drunk to find a good place to sleep. He ends up falling asleep on train tracks. An example of Jackson’s man vs. mother-nature, “’I was cold and sleepy,’ I said. ‘So I lay down.’ ‘You dumb-ass, you passed out on the railroad tracks.’ I sat up and looked around. I was lying on the railroad tracks’” (Alexie para 195). Jackson also has a conflict with white society. “‘One day you have a home and the next you don’t, but I’m not going to tell you my particular reasons for being homeless, because it’s my secret story, and Indians have to work hard to keep secrets from hungry white folks’” (Alexie para 1). Jackson also has a man versus man conflict with Honey Boy, who tries to get Jackson to hook up with him but Jackson says he’s not a homosexual. “‘I’m flattered, Honey Boy, but I don’t play on your team.’” (Alexie para 165). Jackson does not show any signs of complexity. He is also a stereotypical homeless man. He does spend the majority of the money he gets on alcohol. Jackson also is dynamic since he clearly changes because in the beginning he was just a homeless man with his friends with nobody really paying attention to him, then at the end he felt that everybody stopped to watch him
Sherman Alexie writes in his story, What You Pawn I Will Redeem about a homeless Salish Indian named Jackson Jackson. Alexie takes readers on Jackson’s journey to acquire enough money to purchase back his grandmother’s stolen powwow regalia. Throughout the story, Jackson’s relationships with other charters ultimately define his own character. Alexie, a well know Native American author tells an all too common tale of poverty and substance abuse in the Native American community through his character Jackson. The major character flaw of Jackson is his kindness, which ultimately becomes his greatest asset when fate allows him to purchase back his grandmother’s powwow regalia from a pawn broker for only five dollars.
Carmilla is an example of a woman who loves her food far too much. Carmilla is consumed entirely by her food, even sleeping in a coffin of blood: “The limbs were perfectly flexible, the flesh elastic; and the leaden coffin floated with blood, in which to a depth of seven inches, the body lay immersed” (Le Fanu 102). There exists a unique relationship between the vampire and their victims. Food becomes defined in terms of victimhood, distinctly separated from humanity’s general consumption of meat. The need for human victims makes hunting synonymous with courtship, as intense emotional connections are established between the vampiress and her food. As seen in the intense relationship developed between Laura and Carmilla, the vampire is “prone to be fascinated with an engrossing vehemence, resembling the passion of love, by particular persons” (105). For Carmilla, cruelty and love are inseparable (33). The taking of the victims’ blood for sustenance is a highly sexualized exchange of fluids from one body to another. The act of consumption is transformed into an illicit carnal exchange between the hunter and the hunted.
In the short story “What You Pawn I Will Redeem”, Sherman Alexie uses the two most well known stereotypes of Native Americans today, that they are alcoholics and homeless. These are more modern day stereotypes but they fall under the the main stereotype, that Native Americans are helpless and uncivilized. Alexie’s short story focuses on a character named Jackson Jackson, who happens to be both homeless and an alcoholic. Jackson is walking past a pawn shop when he notices his grandmother’s regalia that was stolen from his family fifty years ago. The owner of the pawn shop gives Jackson twenty-four hours to come up with the money for the regalia. The story takes us throughout his journey which consist mostly of Jackson buying alcohol, food, and even some lottery tickets. Jackson would acquire money through a variety of situations right after getting money he ended
In the first line of “What You Pawn I Will Redeem” Sherman Alexie writes “one day you have a home and the next you don’t” (1558). That sentence is the main idea of the whole story. Native Americans are struggling to be accepted in today’s society because the majority of them are affected by poverty. In “What You Pawn I Will Redeem” Alexie writes about a homeless Spokane Indian who is trying to earn money to buy back his grandmother’s regalia from a pawn shop. The story of this homeless Spokane Indian, Jackson Jackson, correlates to a painting by D Rogale, named Homeless in Seattle. This painting shows the Seattle skyline in the background, while in the foreground it shows a person’s feet with torn and dirty socks on them. The short story by
Jackson wants to find something that will make him feel like he has done something for his culture and his people. These sayings contradict his actions because every time he gets closer to gaining more money, he spends it. In the long run, Jackson’s pitfalls did not stop his determination to gain back the regalia and ultimately find his personal identity. Given that he is Native American, the reader might assume that Jackson has a feeling of resentment towards white people due to the displacement of his people. From the beginning of the story, Jackson reveals a protective feeling caused by white people.
The narrator of the story and its point of view are important to understand the theme of the story. Jackson does not mention who is the narrator of the story, but it seems the narrator is a woman who is Jackson herself, and she is part of the society because she knows the townspeople’s character and the event that happens in the town. Although the narrator is part of the society, she seems to be a trustworthy narrator. She tells the story in third point of view with an objective omniscience. She does not bias to any character and describes the story based on what she sees. The point of view in the story is important because it leads the reader to think the reason why the townspeople conduct such a horrible tradition which is one part of the theme of the story. The theme might change if the narrator tells the story in different point of view because she will not tell the story in objective view.
Jackson is proud of his heritage and throughout the story references the way of the Indians, whilst befriending and conversing with a number of other tribal relatives. Jackson, even admits, “Being homeless is probably the only thing I’ve ever been good at. at.” Despite his failure, he is still an Indian man, searching for a proclamation of his. heritage in his grandmother’s regalia.
Jackson uses the lottery itself to function as an ironic symbol of tradition in the story. In today’s society, a lottery is an event that has positive connotations related to it. A lottery a game that is associated with fun, chance, fun, and expectation. Good things usually result from lotteries especially for those who win. Furthermore, those who don’t win have nothing to lose. Lotteries bring forth a feeling of great expectation of a wonderful outcome. Through out the story, the lottery is projected as a harmless and affable pastime, which is how it is used in today’s society; however, by the end of the story it ends with disaster.
Through this battle with himself, Jackson continues to pursue the regalia. Gaining the regalia is about gaining pride. Jackson mentions to the newspaper owner that, “It’s now a quest. I need to win it back myself” (14). Jackson also mentions to the cop, “I’m on a mission here. I want to be a hero” (24). Jackson wants to find something that will make him feel like he has done something for his culture and his
The city stopped. They all watched me dance with my grandmother. I was my grandmother, dancing.” This statement made at the end of the story indicates a strong sense of imagery that details Jackson’s emotions towards getting his grandmother’s regalia from the pawn shop. The yellow bead he mentions was his strongest symbol of feeling toward his grandmother, feeling as if he were a part of that yellow bead, in this case, his grandmother.
In “The Lottery”, Jackson wrote about a special tradition of a small village. June 27th was warm and sunny, and it gave the impression like nothing could possibly go wrong. Everyone knows the lottery as an exciting thing, and everybody wants to win, but this lottery is unlike any other. This lottery was actually the tradition of stoning of an innocent villager; that year it was Tessie Hutchinson. Though the horrific ending was not expected, throughout the story Jackson gave subtle hints that this was not an average lottery. Jackson foreshadowed the death of Tessie Hutchinson with stones, the black box, and the three legged stool; she showed that unquestioning support of tradition can be fatal.
In “A Worn Path,” Jackson character is related to the theme of love, persistence and racial prejudice. Jackson demonstrates love for her grandson as she risk her life through the cold weather to retrieve medicine for her grandson. Her devotion and bravery showed the love that she had for her grandson. In today’s society, you would not see family or friends who care enough for their loved ones to risk their life to help get something that is beneficial for someone else. People who would go great lengths to protect someone they love is rare. Not only did she care for him, but she loved him. Jackson perseverance is shown as she faced the hostile and corrupt world. While keeping warm she must crawl under barbed-wired fences, walk through a maze and protect herself from the wild animals. Not only are these her problems as she takes her occasionally trips to Natchez, she must deal with the pain of age, poverty and racial prejudice, which was a factor during her lifetime. Although she faced perseverance she stayed consistent. The story does not focus on racial issues, but it is implied in the context. Consider the hunter who made racial slurs about blacks going to see Santa Clause or the attendant and shopper calling her granny. Interestingly, the people who she encountered at first were somewhat treating her with kindness. The narrator does not reveal their race, but