The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven

Sherman Alexie’s “The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven” is a 1993 short story that looks into the life of a Native American man who is depressed after a failed relationship with a white woman in Seattle, now living alone in the Spokane Indian Reservation and feels haunted by his past. Sherman Alexie characterizes the narrator with point of view—the narrator’s perception of others and their own onto his perception of self, character—through the narrator’s identity as a Native American man separate from the nation, and style—going through the majority of the narrator’s own thoughts being mostly negative but still looking for a light for himself in order to understand who the narrator is and why the narrator is depressed in the story.…

In literature, authors often portray characters similar to themselves, both in terms of personality and cultural background. This can be done to prove a point, to emphasize a problem that needs to be solved, or simply to entertain a specific audience. Sherman Alexie, a prominent Native American author from a reservation in Wellpinit, Washington, is renowned for his works of this type. He often writes about the struggles of adolescent Native American boys, specifically their struggle trying to…

The identity issues that so many Native Americans face are often addressed and investigated by scholars, but rarely does the average person get an insight on this matter with the quality found in Sherman Alexie’s 1991 The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven. Alexie’s life experiences as a Native American allow for a very authentic retelling that makes academic studies seem sterile in comparison. Through this story, the main character recounts many experiences he’s had relevant to his…

Sherman Alexie’s short story “The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven” follows a young Native American man in Seattle. It starts late at night with the narrator walking to a 7-11. When he enters, it is obvious that the cashier is visibly uncomfortable because of the narrator’s appearance. The look given to him reminds the narrator of his white ex-girlfriend, leading to flashbacks of their past fights. After one of their arguments, he dreamed that he and his girlfriend were a minor war…

Sherman Alexie’s short story “The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven” follows a young Native American man in Seattle. It starts late at night with the narrator walking to a 7-11. When he enters, it is obvious that the cashier is visibly uncomfortable because of the narrator’s appearance. The look given to him reminds the narrator of his white ex-girlfriend, leading to flashbacks of their past fights. After one of their arguments, he dreamed that he and his girlfriend were a minor war…

The story of “The Lone Ranger and Tonto fistfight in heaven” by Sherman Alexie is not only the title of his published book, but it is also the title of one the chapters in this book; which is found on page 181 of the book. In this short story, he shares events and experiences where he has been racially profiled and thought to be someone he’s not; as well as shares his experience with his trip back home. “The Lone Ranger and Tonto” being the classic story of an American cowboy and a Native…

Journal Eight Sherman Alexie uses many interesting features to make the interconnected short stories in his book The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven more thought-provoking and charismatic. Such features include a blend of reality and fantasy, humor and seriousness, and truth and memory. Throughout the book we get many stories that are fantastical versions of the harsh realities of life as a Native American. The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven is a book that tells uncensored…

“The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven” by Sherman Alexie “The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fisfight in Heaven” is a short story out of a book that is also titled “The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven” by Sherman Alexie. This series of short stories was released in 1993 and is still known today as one of his best pieces of work. Alexie is a Native American writer, poet, and filmmaker who generally targets his work toward young adults. Alexie has faced many issues in his life including…

Sherman Alexie’s “The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven” is a 1993 short story that looks into the life of a Native American man who is depressed after a failed relationship with a white woman in Seattle. Now living alone in the Spokane Indian Reservation, the narrator feels haunted by his past and affects him in daily interactions. The majority of the narrator’s views are negative and his own race is seen as divided from America, even when Native American home is America the narrator…

In The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, Sherman Alexie shows how many young Native Americans struggle to find their personal identity in relation White America and their own disappearing culture. Young Native American’s are given a choice between a dominant culture that ridicules and stereotypes them, and their rapidly disappearing culture that they cannot relate to. The struggle between these two cultures leaves them confused and unsure with themselves. When young Native American’s…