The Lone Ranger And Tonto Fistfight In Heaven Summary

Alexie Sherman is a Native American novelist born on the Spokane Indian Reservation in Wellpinit, Washington. In his short story, The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, Alexie Sherman uses a character born in the same Reservation in Washington. This makes the author an authoritive figure and gives him more credibility for the arguments he makes in this short story. The title is allegorical, symbolizing white and Native Americans and their identities. The main argument that the author makes is the way Native Americans are or have been treated in our country, by our government, and its people. The typical stereo types that they have faced, how they are portrayed by most people. This essay touches on a lot of these issues. Flashback is

He decides to go for a walk and buy a creamsicle from a 7/11 store. As soon as he enters the store the clerk gives him a look that almost made him feel uncomfortable, uneasy and maybe even a little angry. The clerk gave him the “look that he knew so well” as he called it. A look of distrust, a look that you would give a criminal. One would see this as the clerk profiling him because he is an Indian. He then goes on to recall his own experience working the graveyard shift at a 7/11 store. He writes about how he was “robbed once too often” and the last time it happened the thief stole his money, his basketball shoes, and locked him in a cooler. It is as if he does not like to be looked at as a criminal, but at the same time almost giving the clerk free pass to not trust him, or an understanding of why he gave him that look. He describes the clerk at the store as looking the way they all do with acne, white socks, work pants and cheap black shoes that have no support. He describes all 7/11 clerks the same but almost as if exempting himself sometimes. He mentions that they all have the same black shoes, but when he was robbed he had basketball shoes. He then associates the look of distrust with the way his ex-girlfriend looked at him. They would get into big fights and she would tell him that she did not trust him, “You get to

He comments about always having crazy dreams, but that his dreams became nightmares since he has been living in Seattle. The nightmare that he had, he goes on to explain that he was a war chief and his girlfriend was a missionary. They were caught by the missionary having intercourse and they shot him. It also supports the authors argument, in the fact that, years of stereo-typing and mistreatment has had a lasting psychological effect on him, and how he thinks other non-Native Americans see him. The dream is an allegorical representation of how he believes people portray him with his girlfriend. As if he is insecure of his relationship, maybe even not supposed to be dating her. The nightmares stop after he breaks up and leaves