If I Ever Get Out Of Here Analysis

In the book "If I Ever Get Out of Here" the author Eric Gansworth writes about the dangers of assumptions. He writes about this theme throughout the book by introducing situations in which an assumption of a character or a group, often times based on race, turns out to be incorrect and leads to issues between the two people or groups. Lewis and his family both make assumptions about George's family because he is from off the reservation and there are assumptions made about Indians and Lewis by teachers, classmates, store workers, and more.

While Lewis is being bullied by Evan, a kid at his school, many people didn't believe that the situation was as bad as Lewis claimed. When discussing the problem in the lunchroom some of the kids agreed that Lewis is just "making the easy Indian claim" (p. 207). The assumption that all Indians are violent and prone to making stuff up for sympathy and to work the system meant that Lewis had barely any support in getting through the bullying and stopping it. Even George and his dad had a hard time understanding how bad it was because it seemed unlikely. Whether people directly assume he is making it up or are just skeptical of the seriousness of the situation, Lewis is forced …show more content…
Lewis spends most of the book lying to George about why he can't invite him to his house. He thinks that if George sees how he lives he will judge him and might not want to be his friend and also that his mom will be upset. This spirals into some crazy tangle of lies that just ends up hurting both of them. His mom is upset but gets over it upon realizing that George and his dad are kind people who aren't racist and don't judge. In the end George is in fact surprised by Lewis' living conditions, but he is mostly just hurt that Lewis lied to him. In response to Lewis' excuses for lying he states that he would never do that and that "my (George's) place would be open to you (Lewis)" (p.