If you know how to play chess, you’ll know that it’s a lot harder than checkers- more rules, guidelines, exceptions, and so on. Picture your life like a game of checkers with simple rules that never change. Now imagine the life of Native Americans like a game of chess. They have to work harder than the average person and there are different rules as to how they play. To overcome the hardships of having to “play chess” they have developed strategies to endure their more difficult life. The vast majority of the difficulties Native Americans face are a result of the poverty, alcoholism, and discrimination that define modern Native American communities. Many modern tribe members feel hopelessly stuck in the cycles of alcoholism and poverty and …show more content…
hold a grudge against whites for mistreating them for centuries. Taking nearly all their land, enslaving their people, and forcing white culture on them are just a few examples of the crimes whites have committed against Native Americans.
Whites are responsible for the murder of millions of Natives- almost the whole population. In order to cope with their resentment towards whites and the poverty and alcoholism that plagued the reservations, Native Americans developed strategies to survive reservation life. In The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, Sherman Alexie shows through several interconnected short stories that Native Americans can improve their current situations and live more fulfilling lives through humor, community gatherings, and by demonstrating compassion and forgiveness towards one another. The short story “The Approximate Size of my Favorite Tumor” demonstrates how humor can make dire situations bearable and serve as a coping mechanism during times of tragedy. The main character in the story, Jimmy ManyHorses, is famous for his use of dark humor to survive the challenges of reservation life. His habitual use of dark humor is first revealed when Jimmy discloses to Simon that he angered his wife Norma when he joked about his terminal cancer diagnosis. First, Jimmy commented …show more content…
on how one of his tumors looks like a baseball. Norma was clearly annoyed at his comment, but instead of ending the joke, he continues to say “...call me Babe Ruth. Or Roger Maris. Maybe even Hank Aaron ’cause there must have been about 755 damn tumors inside me…I was going to Cooperstown and sit right down in the lobby of the Hall of Fame. Make myself a new exhibit, you know? Pin my X-rays to my chest and point out the tumors, what a dedicated baseball fan! What a sacrifice for the national pastime!” (Alexie 157) Jimmy’s comparison of his tumor to baseball not only demonstrates his twisted sense of humor, but also demonstrates his inability to control his jokes. Humor is the best tool he possesses to deal with tragedy, and therefore he uses it even at inappropriate times. Although at the surface it may appear as if Jimmy’s dark humor is a negative aspect of his personality, in reality, it has made life on the reservation bearable and given him a shot at at a more pleasant, fulfilling life despite the hardships he faces. As Joseph Coulombe phrases it, “laughter replaces Jimmy's fear and demonstrates his ability to survive and even triumph over debilitating circumstances. His jokes make him feel larger than life, allowing him to transcend his daily fight against cancer by magnifying himself into someone famous and beloved by all.” According to Coulombe, humor is Jimmy’s escape from the harsh reality of life on the reservation. In addition to humor, community gatherings are also used by the Natives as a way to survive challenges faced on the reservation. Another way in which the Natives in The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven are able to improve their lives is through community gatherings consisting of both Natives Americans and white Americans. In the short story “The First Annual All-Indian Horseshoe Pitch and Barbeque” Alexie suggests that gathings consisting of both whites and Natives can help the natives overcome their historic grudge against whites. The piano in the chapter symbolizes the two races getting along peacefully after centuries of hostility and disagreement. By Victor playing a song with European origins, and the Native Americans relating to and enjoying it as if it were their own, the two cultures successfully blend together for the first time in reservation history. At the end of the chapter, Alexie makes it clear that the whites and Natives have been successfully united when a baby is born from a white mother and Native father, and an anonymous woman mentions, “Both sides of this baby are beautiful” (Alexie 148). By the Natives realizing the positive sides of both cultures and being able to overcome their past resentment for whites, they free themselves from the anger and are able to lead more pleasant lives. As well as community gatherings, the Natives use compassion and forgiveness towards each other to better their existence on the reservation. In the chapter “Family Portrait”, Alexie makes it clear that the key to enduring difficult situations and getting over past feelings of resentment is having compassion and forgiving those around you.
The narrator describes the dark moments of his childhood in the chapter, and points out that although his parents were responsible for many of the negative aspects of his childhood, being able to empathize with them was crucial to his ability to forgive them. At the end of the chapter, the narrator makes a realization that “...we all want to survive” (Alexie 198). When he recognizes this common connection between every human, it gives him the ability to empathize with and forgive all people, including his parents. Earlier in the chapter when the narrator's dad is describing the TV show he used to watch as a child involving a singing woman, the narrator notes the power of forgiveness when he observes, “She is why we hold each other tight; she is why our fear refuses naming. She is the fancydancer; she is forgiveness” (Alexie 198) The narrator was naming forgiveness as a positive quality the woman represents, and also could be implying that forgiveness is why “we hold eachother tight” and why “our fear refuses naming.” The narrator clearly recognizes the power of forgiveness, as it has most likely helped his relationship with his parents, and has taken away any negative feelings he had towards
them. Throughout the novel The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, it is indisputable that Native Americans living on the Spokane reservation are able to improve their lives by participating in community gatherings, using humor, being empathetic, and forgiving other Tribe members. By learning how effectively use these coping mechanisms, the Natives are able to escape the harsh reality of discrimination, alcoholism, and poverty that troubles the reservation. Fixing the many problems on the reservation would be nearly impossible, and require years to even slightly improve the current issues. Learning the skills needed to cope with the many issues on the reservation, however, is an excellent temporary solution to help the Natives survive reality. Although the Natives are still hopeful that they will not have to survive by solely by coping with miserable circumstances, it is the best solution they have right now.
The. In this short story, the narrator, Jimmy Many Horses, who suffers from terminal cancer, keeps joking about his tumor, telling his wife, Norma, that “[his] favorite tumor was just about the size of a baseball, shaped like one, too. Evan had stitch marks” (157). Norma, who cannot tolerate Jimmy’s jokes about his cancer, leaves Jimmy and goes to Arlee, yet she later comes back to Jimmy because the person she lives with in Arlee is too serious. Humor plays an important role throughout this story; at the end of the story, it is again humor which improves the relationship between Jimmy and Norma.
suffering the Native Americans are plagued with as a result of the lack of acceptance towards
Although the work is 40 years old, “Custer Died for Your Sins” is still relevant and valuable in explaining the history and problems that Indians face in the United States. Deloria’s book reveals the White view of Indians as false compared to the reality of how Indians are in real life. The forceful intrusion of the U.S. Government and Christian missionaries have had the most oppressing and damaging affect on Indians. There is hope in Delorias words though. He believes that as more tribes become more politically active and capable, they will be able to become more economically independent for future generations. He feels much hope in the 1960’s generation of college age Indians returning to take ownership of their tribes problems and build a better future for their children.
Although the work is 40 years old, “Custer Died for Your Sins” is still relevant and valuable in explaining the history and problems that Indians face in the United States. Deloria book reveals the Whites view of Indians as false compared to the reality of how Indians are in real life. The forceful intrusion of the U.S. Government and Christian missionaries have had the most oppressing and damaging effect on Indians. There is hope in Delorias words though. He believes that as more tribes become more politically active and capable, they will be able to become more economically independent for future generations. He feels much hope in the 1960’s generation of college age Indians returning to take ownership of their tribes problems.
Culture has the power and ability to give someone spiritual and emotional distinction which shapes one's identity. Without culture, society would be less and less diverse. Culture is what gives this earth warmth and color that expands across miles and miles. The author of “The School Days of an Indian Girl”, Zitkala Sa, incorporates the ideals of Native American culture into her writing. Similarly, Sherman Alexie sheds light onto the hardships he struggled through growing up on the Spokane Indian Reservation in his book The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven in a chapter titled “Indian Education”.
People have been living in America for countless years, even before Europeans had discovered and populated it. These people, named Native Americans or American Indians, have a unique and singular culture and lifestyle unlike any other. Native Americans were divided into several groups or tribes. Each one tribe developed an own language, housing, clothing, and other cultural aspects. As we take a look into their society’s customs we can learn additional information about the lives of these indigenous people of the United States.
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.
“What You Pawn I Will Redeem,” by Sherman Alexie gives readers a look at the life of homeless, easygoing, middle aged Native American, Jackson Jackson. The story, which is set in Seattle, describes the conditions that Jackson finds himself in. Alexie’s choice of motifs emphasizes the significance of cultural and historical references. With these concepts in mind, the reader is taken through a journey of self-realization. “What You Pawn I Will Redeem” narrates the internal struggle Jackson feels trying to figure out his personal identity as a Native American. The story chronicles situations that illustrate the common stereotypes about Natives. Through Jackson’s humble personality, the reader can grasp his
Historical trauma has brought psychological effects on the Native American community. Many suffer from alcohol and drug abuse, depression, and poverty. I wondered why they do not get help from the government and after watching the documentary California’s “Lost” Tribes I began to understand that in any reservation the tribe is the government, so they do not have the same rights as a city outside the reservation. Many of the the reservations were placed in areas where they could not do any form of agriculture, so they did not have a source of income. Many of this reservations have to find ways to get themselves out of poverty and many of the reservations within California have found a way to get out of their poverty by creating casinos
“What You Pawn I Will Redeem,” by Sherman Alexie gives readers a look at the life of homeless, easygoing, middle aged Native American, Jackson Jackson. The story, which is set in Seattle, describes the conditions that Jackson finds himself in. Alexie’s choice of motifs emphasizes the significance of cultural and historical references. With these concepts in mind, the reader is taken through a journey of self-realization. “What You Pawn I Will Redeem” narrates the internal struggle Jackson feels trying to figure out his personal identity as a Native American. The story chronicles situations that illustrate the common stereotypes about Natives. Through Jackson’s humble personality, the reader can grasp his true feeling towards White people, which
Native-Americans make up one of the smallest portions of our population, but are still victims of mass incarceration and police brutality Many Native-American reservations have high unemployment rates. Poverty in these areas is also common. Reserved, sacred land for Native-Americans is also disappearing as more and more land is being taken away by United States government. The government also disobeys treaty rights by exploiting their land for natural resources to gain profit. Low graduation rates are common in Native school districts. Suicide is much more prevalent among Native-American youth when compared to the rest of the nation. They also generally receive poor healthcare. Violence and abuse of children and women is more common in Native-American communities as well.
As a White American, I have been virtually unaware of the harsh living conditions that Native Americans have been enduring. This past summer I was fishing and camping at a resort in northwestern Minnesota with my family. I realized that this resort was located on the White Earth Indian Reservation. As I drove around the towns that the resort was near, I saw that the Native Americans were terribly poverty-stricken. Besides the resort that my family and I were staying at and a small casino that was nearby, most of the buildings and houses were in poor condition. The majority of the houses were trailers and not something that I would call “livable.” This raised a few questions in my mind: Why are people on Indian reservations living this way and what other things besides housing are Native Americans lacking? As I began research on these questions, I found three major issues. Poverty, health, and education are three tribulations that, at this point, remain broken on American Indian reservations.
Many people believe that Native Americans are a disadvantaged group of individuals in many ways. Culturally, in that many of the cultures of the various tribes across the Americas were taken from them by Europeans and their descendants. Socially, in that they are unlike other minorities in the United States because of their extra-constitutional status; and even medically, stemming from the general belief that Natives are at a higher risk for disease than other ethnicities due to tobacco and alcohol use, especially when used together (Falk, Hiller-Sturmhöfel, & Yi, 2006).
The circumstances the Native American people endured clarify their current issues. American Indians have poor education and a high percent are unemployed when equated to “U.S. all races” (Spector, 2009, p. 205). Many American Indians still live on reservations and work as a
All men are created equal (Declaration of Independence). Yet, the Native Americans continue their fight for decades since colonization. There is a constant struggle to urge for equality from William Apess in his 1833 essay, An Indian’s Looking-Glass for the White Man. In modern day, the fight continues after his lifetime. Equality and freedom is the goal for most Native Americans. Although securing the rights of the Native Americans are progressing, it is slow. Therefore, the inequality continues at a faster pace, as opposed to major changes that would impact the Native Americans positively. Throughout history, they are exploited for their land and natural resources and severely underfunded. As a matter of fact, the common theme seems to be that the Native Americans are continuously suppressed by the “superior race”, which showcases the prevalent thoughts in America. William Apess and