Sherman Alexie's Every Little Hurricane

The adult characters in Sherman Alexie’s, Every Little Hurricane are alcoholics and suffer from a chaotic lifestyle. The main character of this story is a child that is constantly subjected to his family’s way of life. The past plays a significant role in the theme of this story. Victor, his parents, and even his uncles each hold onto tragic memories from their past. For one example, Victor’s mother cannot forget that she was sterilized just moments after he was born. By holding onto these painful memories, she is not able to experience emotional growth and chooses to drink rather than to heal. Victor is, in a way, collateral damage resulting from the issues his family have. He is subjected to violence and heavy drinking throughout the entire

For example, Victor, his parents, and his uncles hold onto painful events and memories that hinder their productivity and cause them to lack the skills needed to grow emotionally. This is a clear indication that they suffer from poor emotional health and coping skills. This is most likely the reason that they all drink alcohol and party on a regular basis. This is also why small issues in their household can blow up into huge arguments and ultimately result in cursing and fighting. Continuing to drink under the circumstances Victor and his family live in only worsen their emotional health. A viscous cycle repeats over and over until a hole is dug so deep that none of them can gain traction to pull themselves out of the misery that’s been created. Victor witnesses this cycle and locks each incident in his mind for safe

Being exposed to his family’s drinking and violence influence him in a profound way. He will grow up to think that leading a chaotic life is acceptable in society. He is doomed to become an alcoholic himself if his parents do not wake up from their substance abuse haze and get him away from such a negative environment. Children who grow up with addicted parents are predisposed to becoming addicts themselves. According to Robert Priedt, author of Many Alcoholics Suffered Childhood Trauma, “patients being treated for alcoholism were likely to have experienced one or more types of childhood abuse or neglect” (Priedt). He also found that a history of emotional abuse was associated with an increase in the likelihood of the patient having depression. This is important concerning that while Victor is not being physically or sexually abused, he is forced to live in an unhealthy environment. This is a form of emotional abuse. Aside from that, Victor is neglected the basic necessities such as food and safety. With his family constantly under the influence and fighting, they do not have time to give Victor the emotional support that a child desperately needs to grow into a functioning member of society. He is also growing up poor. This is not always a bad thing. In fact, some people that grow up in poverty learn the best coping skills and grow to be resourceful,