Allusions And Allusion In Gentrifications By Sherman Alexie

Gentrifications, a short article by Sherman Alexie, contains many thought-provoking concepts about the racial issues in today’s society, despite the tangible comedic feel. Through his work Gentrifications, Alexie employs both allusions and imagery in order to communicate that racial prejudice exists on both sides. Allusions serve to help the audience understand the depth of his words, and imagery creates a description that draws the reader in, which in turn causes them to consider his point further. Indubitably, his argument about such a sensitive issue today proves to be very interesting. Alexie simply narrates a personal experience, a story about a mattress left on his neighbor’s driveway for weeks without garbage pickup. As it begins to

There seems to be no way to carry it except “to carry the mattress on my head, like an African woman gracefully walking…except without her grace” (617). Why does Alexie use this comparison? I think that it could be to epitomize his own beliefs. By placing the words ‘gracefully,’ and ‘African,’ in the same sentence in a story about racial prejudice, Alexie displays his lack of disdain for the African culture. While some might argue it is sarcasm, I would counteract that while sarcasm could definitely play a part in this article, the tone of the story is not one of sarcasm toward the African Americans; instead, he appears to have a respect for all people, and this example only further illustrates

Instead of having set things right, he discovers he has set himself apart from the neighborhood. “I felt pale and lost, like an American explorer in the wilderness” (618). Here, his loneliness is compared to an explorer—and this time, it’s an American. This serves multiple purposes: he not only embellishes how he feels but also uses it as a comparison to the American culture as a whole: lost. Lost, that is, from the idea of equality and unity. Culture is lost, and he feels lost, too—a feeling provoked because of the racial prejudice toward him for no real rationalization. He’s not being selfish or judgmental; he is simply pointing out an overlooked notion that racial issues exist on both sides of the equation. Yes, African Americans have recieved the brunt of it, but that’s not the entire story. Black men are being shamed by white men for being black, and white men are being shamed by black men for being white. American culture is lost, just like that explorer in the wilderness. Additionally, by referring to both cultures, Alexie accomplishes two more things: First, it further expresses the equality concept, and secondly, it proves he does not consider one race better than another. It allows him to communicate his opinions and thoughts on the matter, and this, in turn, builds credibility and trust with the