Sherman Alexie's Flight Patterns

Tianna Thibou (Angl)

Warren Burdine

16/FA-HMS-101A-50

9/28/16

FLIGHT PATTERNS

In Sherman Alexie's short story, "Flight Patterns", the story's setting is in Seattle, Washington a year after the 9/11 attacks. The main character is William, is a middle class paranoid workaholic Spokane Indian. His sales job consist of him flying on planes for the majority of his life. He has a wife and daughter who loves him unbearably. The next supporting character in the short story is a taxi driver named Fekadu who is from Ethiopia. Alexie has used this short story to portray the bigger picture about how after 9/11, many people have started racially profiling and labeling others and/or themselves out of force of habit. He does this through the use of

epiphanies, motifs, irony, and stereotypes. Alexie's story also deals with mistaken identities to create clever metaphors.
In the short story, the main character, William has an epiphany towards the end of the story. After getting out of the taxi, William has a sense of cruise of enlightenment. Fekadu's life stories about his family, makes a lightbulb go off in William's workaholic mind of how important his family is to him. Knowing he's taken his family's love for granted, "He ran through the terminal, searching for an available pay phone, a landline..." (Alexie 123) William has his eyes opened by Fekadu's words of wisdom, and rushes to the phone to hear his wife's voice for reassurance that his family is well.
Sherman Alexie creates many motifs in this short story connecting to flying. The story takes place around a year after 9/11. William is a traveling salesman who is sitting on a plane most of his life, yet he still has fears of flying. Connecting back to 9/11, his fear has heighten because of the recent attack, though he plays it off in his mind by thinking "hijacking was no longer a useful weapon in the terrorist arsenal" (Alexie 107) William wants to believe this is true deep down but he still scans the airports for the "little brown men" Flying pops up again with conversation with his daughter fear of the him flying and Fekadu resume of being jet-fighter pilot. Alexie creates these motifs to resolve around flying.
Towards the end of the story Fekadu ends his William's conversation saying "Good-bye William American" (Alexie 123)This is portrayed as ironic because William is in fact Spokane Indian.

Earlier in the conversation Fekadu has already asked William "What are you?" (114 Alexie) Fekadu has not forgot William's answer he refers to him as American by his lifestyle or way of living. Without meaning to, Fekadu's "American" also refers to Wlliam's experience when flying. He "always scanned the airports and airplanes for little brown guys who reeked of fundamentalism." (Alexie 107) William can't help but racially profile the men because of the attacks on 9/11. This is why it's ironic to call William, "William

American"
Native Americans have been linked to many stereotypes such as the clothing they wear, how they speak, and their occupation. In "Flight Patterns" William refutes these stereotypes. William claim himself as a "bow and arrow Indian" (Alexie 108) But in the story he hasn't had any bow or arrows. Instead of buckskin out, a headdress, and a feather tasseled staff, William dresses pretty sharp and according to Alexie's book, he is also very hygienic and only smells of soap and aftershave. Instead of letting his long hair do its own thing (like his wife) he makes sure he brushes his hair everyday and keeps them in perfect braids.
Just like the Native Americans, African Americans have dealt with numerous stereotypes linked to them, if not more.

Fekadu also refutes these stereotypes through his life stories. Most African American are stereotyped as poor, uneducated, violent people. Even William assumed Fekadu was "a black man with a violent." (Alexie 114) until proven wrong. Fekadu has claimed he studied physics and the "art of flight" (Alexie 120) at Oxford. Although he did kill his own people in Ethiopia, he did it under orders of Selassie, a ruler. Realizing he couldn't be a killer to his own people, this cause him to move away leaving his family

behind.
In Sherman Alexie's short story, "Flight Patterns", he draws a larger picture about racial profiling. It would seem Alexie wants to inform the reader certain ways stereotypes can connect to multiple ethnicities by their history, beliefs, and other culture-specific traits. The author uses motifs, metaphors, and the use of stereotypes to keep the reader drawn in yet still alerted of the bigger issue of racial profiling.

Works Cited
Alexie, Sherman. “Flight Patterns” Ten Little Indians The Norton Introduction to Literature. Eds. Alison Booth and Kelly J. Mays. 10th ed. New York: Norton, (2010): pp 102-123. Print.