George Orwell and John Didion both had different reasons for why they write. Orwell focuses on the four main motivations for writing, while Didion focuses on self-exploration as his motivation to write. For Alexie it is a mix of both of these reasons. On one hand, Alexie wants to share his experiences growing up on a reservation and his struggles to escape the typical “Indian” life. On the other, he also writes to explore who he is and what he thinks. Growing up, he felt very isolated from society and was always seen as an outsider. Through writing he is able to explore his role as an Indian writer and how he motivates others to write. Alexie states that he was inspired by a book written by Native American poets. He connected with these poems
