The Importance Of Switch Bodies In Sherman Alexie's Fight

Did you ever think about switching bodies with someone else? Seeing things in a different way that you will never since before? People always want switch bodies with someone else but in the book called Fight by Sherman Alexie a nonfiction novel where a fifthteen year old boy named Zits switch bodies with not just one person but, five different people to see new things and learn many thing in his new body. In the beginning of the book Zit is fifthteen years old and his mom died when he was just six years old and his dad left him when he was just born. He now an orphan who has been in twenty different foster homes and twenty-two schools living a hard life with no one there to help him out. Zits over that time has been doing really bad things like smoking crack, drinking with the homeless people, and even stealing a car and crashing it into a building. This all lead up to the worst thing that Zits had done

which is shooting at a public bank killing many people and even him, but something weird happen. Zits wakes up perfectly fine and in a different body. Over the next chapters seeing new things come back to his own body before he starts shooting at a bank. He does something different like he changes. He does not shoot but runs away to find a police officer to turn him in. Over this book, Zits had learned many things over time that help him change and become the person who he is at the end of the book.

One thing that Zits had learn from switching bodies was how to finally feel love and happiness. In other words this was the first time he felt love since his mom had died from breast cancer. Over that time he wasn’t really happy because he really missed his mom and wanted her back in his life. It really hard for him to find someone that cared and love since his mom past but there was one person that really cared and remind him of his mother who a woman named Mary at the end of the book. Mary was the person at the end of the book who took in Zits as a foster kid. She care for him so much that she wanted him to feel better or happier about himself. “We need to start working on your skin. You’ll be a lot happier if we do.” (Page 179) By working on Zit’s face will make him feel make better about himself and happier. “Mary hugs me. She hugs me tightly. It feel great. I haven’t been hugged like that since my mother had died. I’m happy.” (Page 180) Zits finally learned how to be happy and what it feels like to be love which change him at the end of the book.

Another thing that Zits learn from switching bodies was violence and killing was never right.

In other words Zits knew that inflicting pain to other is wrong for many reasons. “ I can’t do this. It somehow seems worse to shoot a dead body than to shoot a living man. Justice made killing make sense. But it doesn’t make sense, does it.” (Page 53) “ Maybe you can’t kill somebody twice for real, but it sure hurts your heart just the same.” ( Page 53) By learning this small part in a different body he soon realize killing a person is wrong even if they already died. At the end of the book when Zits was back in his body in the same place before he shooted up a bank. He thinks about if he kills these people what will the outcome be? He can’t kill or shoot anyone now because it will not make sense for killing innocent people. Everything he knew was wrong which helps realize what was right and what was wrong about violence and killing. Zit realize and learned that it is wrong to use violence or killing is never right that makes him change at the end of the

book.

Zits had learned many thing along the way but it still won’t change how he acts. In other words he will still act like the same way he did in the beginning of the book. For example, in the beginning of the book, a foster father said, “Good morning” to Zits. Zits replies by saying, “What ever.” What this means be ruled by not replying nicely or following rules that other people in force Zits to do. “We have rules around here. And rules number one is to be nice.” Said the stepmother. ( Page 13) When Mary his new foster mother asked if he wanted some oatmeal, Zits replies by saying whatever. Even if he been in different bodies doesn’t mean that he will change how he will act to other people. But Zit is human which means it will take time to learn something like behave and talking to people correctly. Then Robert asked Zits if he wanted to go to a Marlins game, he doesn’t say whatever. “ I want to say Whatever, but it doesn’t come out that way. I realize that Dave isn’t leaving me with his brother. Dave is going to take care of me, too. That makes sense, I suppose. I need as many father as possible.” (Page 176) What this means that Zits is trying to act better because really wants to stay with Dave and his family. Zits had learned many things along the way but change him at the end of the book in many ways.