Since the 19th Century, Native Americans have faced oppression from the American culture. Although free to leave, many Native Americans feel confined to their reservations, trying to cling on to the last bit of tribal culture they have left. Their culture, however, has been radically changed by the modern American culture. Sherman Alexie perfectly portrays this oppression and the plight of the Native American in Indian Killer and The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven. Through the setting, plot structure, and characterization, Alexie uses both books to show the struggle that a modern Native American faces. “As a Native American… Sherman Alexie knows how difficult it is for someone to make his way in an alien society without losing
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This book is not a typical novel; it is a composition of many interconnected short stories that share the same characters. The short stories show different perspectives of life on the Spokane Indian Reservation, and each short story shows the struggle of the characters on the reservation in some way. The setting of this story, the Spokane Indian Reservation, shows us some of the plight that the modern Native American, born and raised on a reservation, faces. A majority of the short stories have a somber setting. For example, in the short story “Because My Father Always Said He Was the Only Indian Who Saw Jimi Hendrix Play ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ at Woodstock”, Alexie shows Victor’s experience in a hostile household. Victor’s father was a heavy drinker, and when he came home, his father would listen to a Jimi Hendrix tape and drink until he passed out on the kitchen table. Victor would then fall asleep under the kitchen table with his father, so he could spend time with him. Not only this, but Victor’s father and mother fought, and this fighting ended with them getting a divorce. Victor’s father then gave him one last goodbye and left for Seattle, never to be seen again. Through this setting of a hostile household, Alexie shows us not only what Victor went through, but what many Native American families on reservations go through. The struggle of living on a reservation, with little money and boring conditions, is sometimes too much for the families to take, and they break apart. This struggle is also shown through the plot structure. Although the book is nothing more than a collection of short stories, all of the short stories are intertwined with each other. They feature the same characters and all show tidbits of life on the reservation. The plot structure of each of these short stories is very
This book is not a typical novel; it is a composition of many interconnected short stories that share the same characters. The short stories show different perspectives of life on the Spokane Indian Reservation, and each short story shows the struggle of the characters on the reservation in some way. The setting of this story, the Spokane Indian Reservation, shows us some of the plight that the modern Native American, born and raised on a reservation, faces. A majority of the short stories have a somber setting. For example, in the short story “Because My Father Always Said He Was the Only Indian Who Saw Jimi Hendrix Play ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ at Woodstock”, Alexie shows Victor’s experience in a hostile household. Victor’s father was a heavy drinker, and when he came home, his father would listen to a Jimi Hendrix tape and drink until he passed out on the kitchen table. Victor would then fall asleep under the kitchen table with his father, so he could spend time with him. Not only this, but Victor’s father and mother fought, and this fighting ended with them getting a divorce. Victor’s father then gave him one last goodbye and left for Seattle, never to be seen again. Through this setting of a hostile household, Alexie shows us not only what Victor went through, but what many Native American families on reservations go through. The struggle of living on a reservation, with little money and boring conditions, is sometimes too much for the families to take, and they break apart. This struggle is also shown through the plot structure. Although the book is nothing more than a collection of short stories, all of the short stories are intertwined with each other. They feature the same characters and all show tidbits of life on the reservation. The plot structure of each of these short stories is very