¶ … Sherman Alexie's book, The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven: "Every Little Hurricane," "What It Means To Say Phoenix, Arizona," and "The Trial of Thomas Builds-the-Fire." The focus is on the writing style of these stories, specifically, on the literal and metaphorical imagery, the interweaving of the human and the natural, and the shifting back and forth from reality to fantasy.
Through his use of Alexie manages to create a hypnotic story-telling mode that draws readers into the world of the Spokane Indian Reservation in which the stories are set. He uses descriptions with meticulous attention to word choice: no word is wasted. The literal is also metaphorical. The world of human interaction is contrasted against the natural world in which it is set. Finally, the borders between reality and fantasy become increasing blurred. This is particularly true by the time we get to the third story discussed here, "The Trial of Thomas Builds-the-Fire."
"Every Little Hurricane"
Sherman Alexie's story, "Every Little Hurricane," tells the story of a hurricane that hits the Spokane Indian Reservation where nine-year-old Victor lives in HUD housing. The year is 1976, it is New Year's Eve, and his mother and father are hosting a party when the hurricane hits. As a storm rages outside, another storm rages within as family members begin to fight. The two Indians are Adolph and Arnold, Victor's uncles. Alexie describes the fight: "The two Indians raged across the room at each other. One was tall and heavy, the other was short, muscular. High-pressure and low-pressure fronts" (2). Here we have the literal and the metaphorical juxtaposed side by side: there is a storm, literally, raging outside. There is also another storm, a physical one, brewing between Victor's two uncles as they struggle against each other. The "high-pressure and low-pressure fronts" here exist on a literal plane, clearly, but also on a metaphorical level. There is a sense of the constant pressure between two clashing ways of life, the old, Indian traditions that exist alongside the more modern intrusion of American culture which threatens to make it obsolete. Here in the first story, this literal and metaphorical theme is introduced, and will be repeated in subsequent stories throughout the book.
There is also the sense of couples who struggle against each other literally even as they struggle with one another against the world on a deeper metaphorical level: "He [Victor] could see his uncles slugging each other with such force that they had to be in love. Strangers would never want to hurt each other that badly" (2). Here we see Adolph and Arnold, who are brothers, part of a family and part of a tribe who will stand up for and support one another, but who will also fight each other with the ferocity that can only come of strong emotion. Another couple we see in this story is Victor's parents, who have a similar relationship. Again, it is clear that these struggles exist on both a literal plane and on a metaphorical one: the constant tension of strong emotional ties is manifested in physical altercations between the characters in life on the reservation. This is symbolic of the metaphorical struggle which goes on between the old way of life and the new way of life, which have historically been at war with one another even as they exist side by side.
There is a sense of unreality in the rituals performed by the characters in this story. For example, the narrator describes how Victor once watched his father checking his wallet for money, again and again, as if somehow the act of re-checking the wallet would suddenly, magically, make money appear. "Victor watched his father repeat this ceremony again and again, as if the repetition itself could guarantee change. But it was always empty" (5). There is a sense of helplessness and being trapped in these words and in these actions, because on the level of reality, nothing will be changed by Victor's father's useless attempts to keep looking into his wallet. Yet, the fact that he continues to do so reflects the fantasy world that these characters also exist in. As Tracey Matthews describes it, Alexie "depicts the lives of Native Americans who attempt to escape their situation through alcohol and other forms of self-abuse." However, he also "finds a mental, emotional, and spiritual outlet in his writing, which he refers to as 'fancydancing'" (Matthews 2006).
As the storm subsides, the inner world of Alexie's characters...
Blues The title of Sherman Alexie's first novel, Reservation Blues, sums up the two central themes that reverberate throughout the story: reservation life and the particular, peculiar status of blues music in American history and identity. The novel follows the story of a Native American blues rock band based near Spokane, Washington, whose rise and fall is dictated, at least partially, by the cursed guitar of blues legend Robert Johnson. However,
Fighting the self in Sherman Alexie's "The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven" Sherman Alexie's short story "The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven," relates the story of the narrator, an Indian who has left his reservation, who is adrift in the white world of Seattle. The narrator feels that everywhere he goes he is regarded like a threat -- even the 7-11. This leaves him in a constant
Historical Pain Is Fused into ‘The Reservation Cab Driver’ The author of ‘The Reservation Cab Driver’, Sherman Alexie, has dedicated his life to writing poems, short stories, and novels. He has depicted characters who are living or struggling as Native Americans in the United States in his work since he was a Spokane/Coeur d’Alene Indian and growing up in Wellpinit, Washington, on the Spokane Indian Reservation. Sherman Alexie published the book
Alexie, Victor, Thomas and Tonto Alexie's experiences as a boy compare to those of Victor and Thomas each. It is as though Victor and Thomas are two alternate projections of Alexie's character: Victor represents the unhappy Indian, who is dissatisfied with the way his family and the people on the reservation conduct themselves (they drink too much); he wants to think of himself as a proud, warrior Indian. Thomas on the
Smoke Signals" directed by Chris Eyre Released on video in June 1999 by Miramax films, Smoke Signals is the first full-length film that has been performed and directed by the American Indians. Smoke Signals is "from top to bottom, an American Indian production, and that makes it historically unprecedented" (Ward Churchill). Adam Beach and Evan Adams play the roles of Victor Joseph and Thomas Builds-the-Fire respectively. They are Coeur d'Alene
Black Elk utilizes his visions to create understanding of nearly all things he is later exposed to. The discussion in closing will further illuminate his utilization of vision, to ask for help for his people in a time of crisis. To discuss the vertical model of artistic communication it is difficult to narrow the filed to just one example, as Native American literature, and to a lesser degree film have
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now