“What You Pawn I Will Redeem” is a short story about Jackson Jackson. In this story, Jackson Jackson has found himself in a situation where he struggles with many conflicts to recover his grandmother’s stolen regalia. He becomes very persistent in fulfilling this mission on his own despite the adverse circumstances he has to deal with.
The author of this story, Sherman Alexie, created the character of Jackson Jackson with a few similarities between them. They are both Spokane Indians and have dealt with alcohol abuse. Personal life events were used to overcome their internal conflict. Jackson Jackson is not your stereotypical homeless man. “If there’s such thing as an effective homeless man, then I suppose I’m effective. I know where to get
named after him. As readers we begin to learn the type of man that Jackson indeed
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
A stone of Hope by Jim St Germain is a memoir about the life of a young African-American immigrating to the United States and opting to the streets of Brooklyn Crown Heights. When my more expresses the poverty and troubles in the criminal justice system. As a young boy living in poverty and recently moving to America Jim used the streets as his Learning Center. The author and protagonist of the memoir, Jim, struggled in education system trying to learn a new language and adapting to his new surroundings. With the stigma of being an ESL student and the lack of support in school and at home Jim begin to invest more time into streets then into his education, he began stealing and dealing drugs and growing up increasingly violent. At the age of 15 Jim had been arrested more than a dozen times but instead of prison St Germain was placed in Boys Town. Boys Town being a rehabilitation center for troubled youth, to help change the lives of children who have severe Behavioral or mental health problems, academically and socially. Even from a young age in the Criminal Justice System St Germain knew that there was a problem lack of compassion and human capital.
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.
The best place to start is the beginning. The Jackson family immigrated from Ireland, leaving behind a world of hardships to try their luck in the New World. Life there would not be so easy and Andrew Jackson’s father would die before he was born. Jackson had two brothers, both older, and his mother. The worked on the farm on which they lived and it was not easy. Life would soon take a more difficult turn as the Revolution began. Historians say that some of the worst fighting seen during the war was experience right around where Jackson grew up in the Carolinas. This kind of violence that surrounded him surely influenced the man that Jackson became. His brother fell victim to the war and soon after his other brother and mother would die from disease leaving Jackson an orphan and forcing him to fend for himself. “A boy soldier during the American Revolution, he became the only president ...
Growing up on the North/South Carolina border, Jackson’s exact state of birth is debatable. Unlike most historians, Jacksons ascertained that he was from South Carolina. Wherever he actually grew up, it is unequivocal that it was a truculent and violent place to be raised. During his childhood, Jackson became accustomed to the social imperatives of the land; hard work, and military spirit. Specifically, in his hometown, one used “[their ]military spirit to defend yourself, and [their] hands to pull something out of the soil”. Here, Meachem believes the constant exhaustion and threat of violence was “one of the many reasons Jackson became a man who was so prone to violence. He grew up with it, he didn’t know anything else”.
The time span this book occurred in is from July 2006 to April 2007 in Charleston, South Carolina. Portraying as a homeless man, Shepard starts off in Crisis Ministries, a homeless shelter that would have “the resources necessary to get him [me] back on his [my] feet,” (Chapter 1, page 9) which was a great kick-starter for his project. Shepard would move into an attic of one of his boss's, George, friend, Mickey, because it was the “best all-around deal that he [I] was going to find,” (Chapter 11, page 137) and because he wanted to leave Crisis Ministries, due to Shepard accepting that the Crisis Ministries was unacceptable to consider to stay in. Afterward, Shepard bought an apartment with his co-worker, Derrick's, cousin, Bubble Gum, because Shepard “wanted something more permanent.” (Chapter 12, page 167) At the end of his story, Shepard ends his project short and moved back to his childhood home of Raleigh, North Carolina because “his [my] mom’s cancer returned and with even greater aggression (Chapter 16, page 203).
Imagine that it is the year 1841 in Saratoga, New York and blossoms of the dogwood tree are swirling around your face as the wind gently tousles your hair. All seems well in the world, and, to Solomon Northup, great opportunities are coming his way. Two men, by the names of Merrill Brown and Abram Hamilton, had offered a dream job to Solomon. They had asked him to join them in a circus, playing the fiddle, an instrument Solomon had mastered. However, these men were not as honest as they seemed. Brown and Hamilton later drugged and kidnapped Solomon at a hotel one night during the tour. These men successfully forced Solomon into twelve years of slavery.
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
Andrew Jackson is one of the most controversial presidents. Many regard him as a war hero, the father of the Democratic Party, an inspiring leader, and a spokesman for the common man. While there is plenty to praise about the seventh president, his legacy is tarnished by his racism, disregard for the law of the land, cruelty towards the Native Americans, and ruthless temper. Jackson was an intriguing man who was multi-faceted. One must not look at a singular dimension, and cast judgment on him as a whole. To accurately evaluate one of the most complex presidents, it is crucial to observe Jackson from all possible angles. Prior lifestyle, hardships in life, political ideology, lifestyle of the time, political developments, and his character
“What You Pawn I Will Redeem,” by Sherman Alexie gives readers a look at the life of homeless, easygoing, middle aged Native American, Jackson Jackson. The story, which is set in Seattle, describes the conditions that Jackson finds himself in. Alexie’s choice of motifs emphasizes the significance of cultural and historical references. With these concepts in mind, the reader is taken through a journey of self-realization. “What You Pawn I Will Redeem” narrates the internal struggle Jackson feels trying to figure out his personal identity as a Native American.
Have you ever been homeless? In the story “Fly Away Home,” by Eve Bunting, Andrew, the main character, lives in an airport because he is homeless. I believe to the text this makes him very brave. Kindness is another word that describes how Andrew shows he is brave. Another reason is he wants to get out of the airport. The last example is that Andrew is helpful. These are three reasons why I think Andrew is brave.
In Bendarat, one of the first people he meets is Old Bill, another victim of homelessness. Old Bill had been homeless for a
For a Literary Analysis, I have done the story “What You Pawn, You Will Redeem” by Alexie Sherman. The story talks about this Indian man, known as Jackson Jackson, goes on this quest to redeem his grandmother’s regalia back from this pawn shop employee who would give it to him for $999. This Indian man has had a troubling past, along with saying he has a habit breaking other people’s hearts, but he has good friends and even knows a couple of store employees who let him use their store’s bathroom. As the story goes on, it goes through a series of events, or a timeline, where the main character tells the story of what had happened during that time period on his quest for the regalia. In “What You Pawn, You Will Redeem”, I have found three literary