The Theme Of 'Cherokee' By Ron Rash

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Theme of “Cherokee”

The short story “Cherokee” written by Ron Rash is about a young married couple fighting to save their truck by gambling their last one hundred and fifty-seven dollars in slot machines at a casino in North Carolina. Rash did an impeccable job at creating two ordinary, everyday people by portraying their lives as the working poor of America. The two characters, Danny and Lisa, both work; however, they are barely making it by and fell behind on their truck payments. Throughout the short story is observed a theme of freedom, or lack thereof, not only through the plot but also through psychology and economics. As far as the story goes, both Danny and Lisa feel imprisoned due to their lack of freedom. The only thing they know how to do is live paycheck to …show more content…

Through the way they feel and the way they speak, it is clear they are not able to freely think about life and other situations. “There is hope but also enough doubt in his voice to make it a real question” (Rash). It is implied that this couple is never able to feel certain about their choices in life due to their psychological lack of freedom. As one goes through life, psychological freedom is lost. Psychological freedom is what you are born with and what you lose as you enter more into bondage by identifying self as: successes, failures, possessions, hurts, etc. (FitzMaurice). Even though one loses some freedom, in this short story it is portrayed as if Danny and Lisa have lost a majority of theirs. Are they depressed due to their lack of freedom? Some symptoms of depression include feelings of hopelessness and pessimism (Signs). Lisa shows those symptoms through her thoughts. “Lisa knew all it would take was a bit of bad luck-sickness or accident or layoff” (Rash). A lack of freedom from one’s mind is very unhealthy and can lead to negative

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