Lone Ranger And Tonto Fistfight In Heaven Analysis

The novel The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven by Sherman Alexie showcases the Native American people of the Spokane reservation in Eastern Washington that have been plagued with poverty for generations. Alexie writes stories about the daily struggles of the people on the reservation and how they strive to make it out of the poverty by becoming modern warriors. Three common issues setback the Natives of the reservation and their culture influences this repetitive cycle of triumph and inevitable failure. In the novel, Sherman Alexie introduces a new hero on the reservation who shows off his “superpowers” using a ball and hoop, however, he inevitably chooses the bottle over his love of the game. Later in the story, we learn more about the traditions and …show more content…
Lastly, we see a history of oppression and violence conveyed through storytelling that has had an effect of Native Americans and their culture for centuries. The isolation of the Spokane Reservation leads to a unique culture that promotes a repetitive cycle of life, which generally ends in poverty due to alcoholism, poor role models growing up, and living in the past.
The people of the reservation are not particularly busy and need various things to fill the void of time. One of the favorite pastimes in their culture is to follow the next greatest teenager to grace the sacred land. They find a new savior, “Julius Windmaker was the latest in a long line of reservation heroes” (Alexie 45). The Natives rally around him and live vicariously through the young boy, seemingly watching his every step. Julius was a phenomenal ball player, until he started horsing around on the reservation and Victor hears he “Threw a brick