Sherman Alexie and Octavia Butler have very different backgrounds, but the only similarity they share (that we know of) is being the minority. Sherman Alexie went to Reardon High School for a better education than offered to him by the rez. He was the only Indian there besides the school mascot. Octavia Butler is one of the few African American women to write science fiction. Their stories, too, are very different from each other, but they have a few similarities. “Jesus Christ’s Half Brother Is Alive and Well on the Spokane Reservation” and “Bloodchild” are an interesting pair of fictional narratives to compare, but I love them to death! I decided to compare these two because, despite their major differences, they have one important similarity:
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The plot of these stories are different too, but there is a common theme they share. So, let’s take out our metaphorical flashlights and become enlightened on the storyline of these anecdotes. Sherman Alexie’s, “Jesus Christ’s Half Brother Is Alive and Well on the Spokane Indian Reservation,” is about a man, the narrator, who takes care of a baby after its parents die in a fire. The baby’s name is James—the name of Jesus’ brother. Why was he named James and assumed to be Jesus’ brother? Well, he was born out of the rare (and illusive) “immaculate conception.” Quotations because the mother claimed to be a virgin while the man she was with said he was the baby’s father. I am pretty sure the Immaculate Conception was a once in a lifetime thing, but it is fiction. James doesn’t talk, cry, or walk. He just eats and stares, but when he stares, he really looks. The first time the narrator has ever commented on this is page 131 “…but I see in his eyes something,” and he knows this baby is more than just a baby, “but he’s got eyes that are ancient and old and dark like a castle,” (Alexie 131). This narrative follows his time taking care of James, the few times he’s gotten drunk, and the few times where he needs to catch a
The plot of these stories are different too, but there is a common theme they share. So, let’s take out our metaphorical flashlights and become enlightened on the storyline of these anecdotes. Sherman Alexie’s, “Jesus Christ’s Half Brother Is Alive and Well on the Spokane Indian Reservation,” is about a man, the narrator, who takes care of a baby after its parents die in a fire. The baby’s name is James—the name of Jesus’ brother. Why was he named James and assumed to be Jesus’ brother? Well, he was born out of the rare (and illusive) “immaculate conception.” Quotations because the mother claimed to be a virgin while the man she was with said he was the baby’s father. I am pretty sure the Immaculate Conception was a once in a lifetime thing, but it is fiction. James doesn’t talk, cry, or walk. He just eats and stares, but when he stares, he really looks. The first time the narrator has ever commented on this is page 131 “…but I see in his eyes something,” and he knows this baby is more than just a baby, “but he’s got eyes that are ancient and old and dark like a castle,” (Alexie 131). This narrative follows his time taking care of James, the few times he’s gotten drunk, and the few times where he needs to catch a