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Can it be Redeemed? Sherman Alexie’s short story “What You Pawn I Will Redeem” brings to light some of the issues that afflict the Native American society. Consequently, he manages to illustrate these issues through the twenty-four hour behaviors of the protagonist and the events that take place in his mission to recuperate his long-lost grandmother’s ceremonial regalia. The social issues that the author presents are not individual or stagnant; hence, are all part of a vicious cycle that can be derived from the impecunious state that many Native Americans experience. However, as mentioned previously, not all social agendas such as poverty, stand isolated; as a result, many Native Americans as well as others, fall prey to the unfortunate …show more content…
Hence, in the story, Jackson shares his grandfather’s murder at the hands of a family member during a drunken domestic violence dispute. “Yeah, it was awful … his brother and his girlfriend were drunk and beating on each other …my grandfather kneeled down beside her …my great uncle reached down, pulled my grandfather’s pistol out of the holster, and shot him in the head.” This conversation denotes to some degree the harsh reality that Jackson could have been exposed to during his childhood. Yet, NolseCat in his article “13 Issues Facing Native People Beyond Mascots and Casinos” spotlights that women and children in Native American communities fall victims to the undesirable acts of violence and teen suicide rates double that of the national rate. Additionally, NolseCat suggests, “Native peoples suffer from high rates of poverty and unemployment,” which heightens anxiety in the face of economic hardship. These factors influence both the emotional and physical states of the individuals facing these conditions; therefore, when poverty and alcohol are added factors, more often than not it creates an environment conducive to …show more content…
Additionally, through Jackson, he was able to demonstrate the struggles, battle, and conquest that may be attained with endurance and perseverance. Jackson, although, did not elicit any violent tendencies, he demonstrated to deal with his distressed and impoverish condition through alcoholism; nevertheless, at the end of the story, he appears to find himself through the recovery of his family’s heirloom. This glorious ending, may signify the glimpse of hope that may lead to a redeemable state, mentally, emotionally, and physically; moreover, creating opportunities for positive
Inventing the Savage: The Social Construct of Native American Criminality. Luana Ross. Austin: University of Texas Press. 1998.
This story made me frustrated at the way people get forced into a rut that they can’t escape. Jackson Jackson isn’t completely innocent, no one is, but most of his problems were a result from the wrong that others had inflicted upon him. The frustrating part was that He was incapable of getting himself out. He did things like spend money on alcohol and cheese burgers, only to end up throwing it all up and even less money. To me, this story is about redemption. Jackson received grace from people like the good cop, and the pawnbroker. None of his own efforts changed his situation, only the kindness of others changed him. These kind deeds helped reconcile the reality of Jackson’ life and his situation. In a story like this, I always hope for a
You learn early on in the story that Jackson Jackson has not had the best life. He flunked out of college in Seattle, was married two or three times and has fathered a few children and is now homeless. Jackson admits that “Being homeless is probably the only thing I've ever been good at” and refers to himself as an “effective homeless man”. Also we learn that Jackson has some kind of mental disorder “an...
Lives for Native Americans on reservations have never quite been easy. There are many struggles that most outsiders are completely oblivious about. In her book The Roundhouse, Louise Erdrich brings those problems to light. She gives her readers a feel of what it is like to be Native American by illustrating the struggles through the life of Joe, a 13-year-old Native American boy living on a North Dakota reservation. This book explores an avenue of advocacy against social injustices. The most observable plight Joe suffers is figuring out how to deal with the injustice acted against his mother, which has caused strife within his entire family and within himself.
...alf seconds. If Jackson did not change his view of life, work hard at everything he did, and excel at sports, who knows where he would be today. He could be sitting in a jail cell because he never changed his ways and lost his temper, or he could still be living in a small house in a small town. Jackson decided that he did not want to do that, and that he wanted his family to be free from a live full of poverty.
Sherman Alexie writes in his story, What You Pawn I Will Redeem about a homeless Salish Indian named Jackson Jackson. Alexie takes readers on Jackson’s journey to acquire enough money to purchase back his grandmother’s stolen powwow regalia. Throughout the story, Jackson’s relationships with other charters ultimately define his own character. Alexie, a well know Native American author tells an all too common tale of poverty and substance abuse in the Native American community through his character Jackson. The major character flaw of Jackson is his kindness, which ultimately becomes his greatest asset when fate allows him to purchase back his grandmother’s powwow regalia from a pawn broker for only five dollars.
Jackson Jackson, who is of Native American descent, lost his home due to reasons he does not want to share, but is actively trying to turn his life around. (Alexie 1433) The author, Sherman Alexie, who is also of Native American heritage, put him in the story to show the passion and drive in Native Americans. Since, they have been run out of their homes for the past hundreds of years, they now feel like they are “invisible”, not hated. Jackson goes on a quest to try to buy back his grandmothers regalia, which can be seen as a metaphor of him trying to get his life back together. Even though he continues to fail at getting the necessary amount of money to buy it back, Jackson continues to try. Jackson shares a philosophical theory with the father in “When The Emperor Was Divine”, in that “it’s better to bend than to break”. (Otsuka 78) What he means is that it is better to resist than to give up. For instance, Jackson could have just given up at the pawn shop and not tried to buy back the regalia that he knew was his grandmothers, but instead he tried to buy it back. Even though he kept spending the money he earned, he continued to work for more. (Alexie 1448) Despite earning over one hundred and fifty dollars, Jackson spent it on; food, alcohol, and lottery tickets. Even with all of this spending Jackson never gave up on his goal of buying back his grandmothers regalia. Moreover, Jackson refused to make up excuses as to why he cannot get the regalia. Even though for years Native Americans have been seen as “liars” he does not use that as an excuse to stop trying. (Alexie 1436) At no point in the story did Jackson ever act like he was a different ethnicity, or try to become a different person. Even when he ended up with the same amount money that he began with he still went back to the pawn
Growing up on the North/South Carolina border, Jackson’s exact state of birth is debatable. Unlike most historians, Jacksons ascertained that he was from South Carolina. Wherever he actually grew up, it is unequivocal that it was a truculent and violent place to be raised. During his childhood, Jackson became accustomed to the social imperatives of the land; hard work, and military spirit. Specifically, in his hometown, one used “[their ]military spirit to defend yourself, and [their] hands to pull something out of the soil”. Here, Meachem believes the constant exhaustion and threat of violence was “one of the many reasons Jackson became a man who was so prone to violence. He grew up with it, he didn’t know anything else”.
The systematic racism and discrimination in America has long lasting effects that began back when Europeans first stepped foot on American soil is still visible today but only not written into the law. This racism has lead to very specific consequences on the Native people in today’s modern world, and while the racism is maybe not as obvious it is still very present. These modern Native peoples fight against the feeling of community as a Native person, and feeling entirely alone and not a part of it. The poem “The Reservation” by Susan Cloud and “The Real Indian Leans Against” by Chrystos examine the different effects and different settings of how their cultures survived but also how so much was lost for them within their own identity.
In the short story “What You Pawn I Will Redeem”, Sherman Alexie uses the two most well known stereotypes of Native Americans today, that they are alcoholics and homeless. These are more modern day stereotypes but they fall under the the main stereotype, that Native Americans are helpless and uncivilized. Alexie’s short story focuses on a character named Jackson Jackson, who happens to be both homeless and an alcoholic. Jackson is walking past a pawn shop when he notices his grandmother’s regalia that was stolen from his family fifty years ago. The owner of the pawn shop gives Jackson twenty-four hours to come up with the money for the regalia. The story takes us throughout his journey which consist mostly of Jackson buying alcohol, food, and even some lottery tickets. Jackson would acquire money through a variety of situations right after getting money he ended
Jackson wants to find something that will make him feel like he has done something for his culture and his people. These sayings contradict his actions because every time he gets closer to gaining more money, he spends it. In the long run, Jackson’s pitfalls did not stop his determination to gain back the regalia and ultimately find his personal identity. Given that he is Native American, the reader might assume that Jackson has a feeling of resentment towards white people due to the displacement of his people. From the beginning of the story, Jackson reveals a protective feeling caused by white people.
Native Americans have undergone a horrific past of genocide, discrimination, forced acculturation, miscommunication, and misunderstanding. They were frequently dehumanized and stripped of basic human rights. Treated as “savages” they were herded into areas of confinement and robbed of their language, culture, and way of life. In many instances of genocide, experts have noted a type of historical trauma that may be passed down through families, known as generational trauma. While the potential effects of this concept are not proven, the stories, images, and memories of thousands of Native Americans continue to be shared with their children, thus perpetuating, and never forgetting the pain and embarrassment that their people have experienced.
Experience changes one’s outlook on the world. Growing up on an Indian Reservation is a tough thing to do. Everyone is poor, and almost every adult is drunk and unhappy. Junior’s father suffers from alcoholism.
in part.” Living through his grandmother’s memory in the end, Jackson, throughout his depressing and yet oddly fantastic journey to only end up where he started is a wonder. He connected with his people, united in poverty and injustice, purely Indian. Metaphors
For a Literary Analysis, I have done the story “What You Pawn, You Will Redeem” by Alexie Sherman. The story talks about this Indian man, known as Jackson Jackson, goes on this quest to redeem his grandmother’s regalia back from this pawn shop employee who would give it to him for $999. This Indian man has had a troubling past, along with saying he has a habit breaking other people’s hearts, but he has good friends and even knows a couple of store employees who let him use their store’s bathroom. As the story goes on, it goes through a series of events, or a timeline, where the main character tells the story of what had happened during that time period on his quest for the regalia. In “What You Pawn, You Will Redeem”, I have found three literary