"What You Pawn I Will Redeem," is Sherman Alexie's modern perspective on the typical quest tale. The main character, Jackson Jackson, begins a journey to retrieve his grandmother's thefted powwow regalia, a journey that leads to fulfillment and the importance of personal identity. Throughout the twenty four hour long journey, Jackson's interactions with friends and strangers help the reader discover the essence of his life and his character. As a homeless Spokane Indian bereft of a home and family, Jackson's quest to retrieve his family heirloom becomes a link to his past, present, future, and his cultural identity. Several members of our class have suggested that the final message of this story centers around Indian Culture and alcoholism. …show more content…
Throughout the story, Jackson Jackson gives away much of his earned money to others, despite needing it to compensate for his grandmother’s stolen regalia he so desperately coverscovets. There was Mary, the young grocery store clerk from the Korean grocery store, there were the fifteen Indians from the Big Heart’s bar in South Downtown, and there were the Aleuts from the wharf; all random recipients of Jackson Jackson’s gratitude. Whether it be money, booze, or breakfast, the acts of kindness put forward by a homeless Spokane Indian stem from a lifelong habit of careless giving. Jackson Jackson is somebody that will give his last dollar to someone or something that needs it more than he, no matter how unfortunate his financial situation. The question remains, why does Jackson Jackson give away so much of his earned money to others, despite the urgent need of currency to acquire his grandmother’s lost regalia for personal redemption? Jackson Jackson seems to gain a certain level of happiness that gives off an unwavering persona of unbrokenness. There is little that can break the man, and despite the deep personal attentiveness to the acquisition of his grandmother’s lost regalia, he won’t let that stop him from …show more content…
The idea is that fortuitous gratitude extended warrants good things to come. No matter how much money Jackson Jackson gives away during his quest, he always seems to subsequently get it back. The author clarifies this sequence of events through the use of a narrative frame. When Jackson Jackson first enters the pawnshop and spots his grandmother’s lost regalia, the pawnbroker tells him that it would cost him one thousand dollars to purchase the item, but Jackson only has five dollars. At the end of the story, Jackson returns to the pawnshop with five dollars, but the five dollar bill he returns with isn’t the same one he brought into the shop twenty four hours prior. During the attempted exchange between Jackson and the pawnbroker, the broker asks, “Did you work hard for that money?” and the answer to that question swayed the pawnbroker into giving the regalia to Jackson. This exchange articulates the author’s premise regarding karma. The tumultuous twenty four hours endured by the main character was rewarded by the conquering of a specific quest. Good things happen to people who do good things, and that’s what stands out the most in this
This story made me frustrated at the way people get forced into a rut that they can’t escape. Jackson Jackson isn’t completely innocent, no one is, but most of his problems were a result from the wrong that others had inflicted upon him. The frustrating part was that He was incapable of getting himself out. He did things like spend money on alcohol and cheese burgers, only to end up throwing it all up and even less money. To me, this story is about redemption. Jackson received grace from people like the good cop, and the pawnbroker. None of his own efforts changed his situation, only the kindness of others changed him. These kind deeds helped reconcile the reality of Jackson’ life and his situation. In a story like this, I always hope for a
Stories are much more than just ink placed in clean rows on paper or dialogues that travel through air columns. All stories transform worldly experiences into sources of inspiration and perspicuity and Saul Indian Horse’s story is no exception. In Richard Wagamese’s novel, Indian Horse, Saul Indian Horse explains the events that have resulted in him receiving treatment for alcoholism at a rehab centre. Readers are exposed to the former hockey player’s moments of triumph, failure, and everything that falls in between. Saul mentions in his story how a leisure pursuit like hockey granted him temporary freedom and happiness from his sorrow-filled life. Saul’s example can inspire First Nations individuals to remain resilient in the face of adversity.
He has an internal conflict because he wants to save money to buy back his grandmother’s regalia from the pawnbroker, but he also wants to share his money and he receives money throughout the story. “‘I’m hoping, and I don’t know why I’m hoping it, but I hope you can turn thirty bucks into a thousand somehow.’ ‘I believe in magic.’ ‘I believe you’ll take my money and get drunk on it’” (Alexie para 230). When he receives money, he always ends up spending it on alcohol and sometimes spends it on food. He never spends all his money on himself. Jackson has a man versus nature conflict and a man versus man made environment conflict. His man vs. man made environment conflict occurs when he is too drunk to find a good place to sleep. He ends up falling asleep on train tracks. An example of Jackson’s man vs. mother-nature, “’I was cold and sleepy,’ I said. ‘So I lay down.’ ‘You dumb-ass, you passed out on the railroad tracks.’ I sat up and looked around. I was lying on the railroad tracks’” (Alexie para 195). Jackson also has a conflict with white society. “‘One day you have a home and the next you don’t, but I’m not going to tell you my particular reasons for being homeless, because it’s my secret story, and Indians have to work hard to keep secrets from hungry white folks’” (Alexie para 1). Jackson also has a man versus man conflict with Honey Boy, who tries to get Jackson to hook up with him but Jackson says he’s not a homosexual. “‘I’m flattered, Honey Boy, but I don’t play on your team.’” (Alexie para 165). Jackson does not show any signs of complexity. He is also a stereotypical homeless man. He does spend the majority of the money he gets on alcohol. Jackson also is dynamic since he clearly changes because in the beginning he was just a homeless man with his friends with nobody really paying attention to him, then at the end he felt that everybody stopped to watch him
Sherman Alexie writes in his story, What You Pawn I Will Redeem about a homeless Salish Indian named Jackson Jackson. Alexie takes readers on Jackson’s journey to acquire enough money to purchase back his grandmother’s stolen powwow regalia. Throughout the story, Jackson’s relationships with other charters ultimately define his own character. Alexie, a well know Native American author tells an all too common tale of poverty and substance abuse in the Native American community through his character Jackson. The major character flaw of Jackson is his kindness, which ultimately becomes his greatest asset when fate allows him to purchase back his grandmother’s powwow regalia from a pawn broker for only five dollars.
STUDY GUIDE ----- The Anthem Chapter 1 1.a. What is the difference between a and a? The society that is represented in the novel is futuristic in terms of the actual date, yet incredibly underdeveloped to what we experience today. The political structure obviously works, because there doesn't seem to be much discontent among the citizens.
Saboteur, written by Ha Jin exposes a difficult period of China: the Cultural Revolution and its consequences on people’s life. Through the author’s skillful use of setting, symbolism and the main character’s dynamism, the reader is able to understand the theme of the story that is revenge.
Inside him, his everyman upbringing and experiences still greatly influenced him and his beliefs. To see that he was a true “Man of the People,” one must look no further than his actions once he surpassed his boundaries and became a wealthy plantation-owner. Even when Jackson became a poster-boy for the old-money elites of Early America, Jackson still never forgot his origins or his upbringing. From his first day in politics to the last, Jackson dedicated himself to enhance and improve the life and existence of the common man. Even when his decisions would affect his support, funding, or social standing, Jackson always kept the people’s interests at
In the short story “What You Pawn I Will Redeem”, Sherman Alexie uses the two most well known stereotypes of Native Americans today, that they are alcoholics and homeless. These are more modern day stereotypes but they fall under the the main stereotype, that Native Americans are helpless and uncivilized. Alexie’s short story focuses on a character named Jackson Jackson, who happens to be both homeless and an alcoholic. Jackson is walking past a pawn shop when he notices his grandmother’s regalia that was stolen from his family fifty years ago. The owner of the pawn shop gives Jackson twenty-four hours to come up with the money for the regalia. The story takes us throughout his journey which consist mostly of Jackson buying alcohol, food, and even some lottery tickets. Jackson would acquire money through a variety of situations right after getting money he ended
Throughout the story Jackson can be found executing many unexplainably kind acts. Obviously, Jackson is not in a position to give out much being homeless and jobless, but he makes a major impact on the world he lives in through giving all that he has to those around him. After Jackson wins one hundred dollars on a scratch off ticket, he gives the cashier, who he flirts with jokingly, twenty dollars out of his winnings. She did not want to take his money, but Jackson exclaims, “It’s an Indian thing. When you win, you’re supposed to share with your family” (Alexie). Jackson did not owe the young cashier anything, and he was in far worse shape than the cashier was in. This man is homeless and jobless and he gave out one fifth of his earning like it was nothing. For all Jackson knows, he may never see one hundred dollars ever again, but that never stopped him from sharing his new found wealth with those around him. The next thing Jackson does is buy eighty dollars worth of shots at an Indian bar for everyone attending. Again, Jackson goes out of his way to show kindness to others. One hundred dollars worth of lottery winnings all gone. Barely one cent went to him or his important regalia
Jackson is proud of his heritage and throughout the story references the way of the Indians, whilst befriending and conversing with a number of other tribal relatives. Jackson, even admits, “Being homeless is probably the only thing I’ve ever been good at. at.” Despite his failure, he is still an Indian man, searching for a proclamation of his. heritage in his grandmother’s regalia.
“Who am I?” (Thomas 415). Many ask themselves this relevant question in times of self-doubt or ambivalence. Leona Thomas asks this question in her essay entitled, “Black and White.” As the child of a black father and a white mother, Thomas finds herself in a racial dilemma. Society punishes Thomas for being “mixed.” Through the use of the literary techniques of pathos, logos, and inductive reasoning, Thomas effectively persuades the reader that society should look beyond one’s mixture. She shows that racial orientation should not determine how a person is perceived by society, and that the people in society should stop being racist to one another.
Jackson wants to find something that will make him feel like he has done something for his culture and his people. These sayings contradict his actions because every time he gets closer to gaining more money, he spends it. In the long run, Jackson’s pitfalls did not stop his determination to gain back the regalia and ultimately find his personal identity. Given that he is Native American, the reader might assume that Jackson has a feeling of resentment towards white people due to the displacement of his people. From the beginning of the story, Jackson reveals a protective feeling caused by white people.
One at a “joke’ and the other in disbelief and joy. With $20 the American boy would most likely waste it on some needless item. Yet the African would provide multiple meals for his family. This is due to the separate lifestyle each life, one wealthy, and the other in poverty. By being raised in two different classes the two have separate appreciation for money. The adversity that the African boy experienced gave him the traits of being appreciative and humble. The American could spot the $20 on the street and walk right pass it, while the African boy would carry cinderblocks to build a new well for his town just to earn enough to feed his family. The daily hardship that the African faces made him a caring, hardworking individual. The social class, and adversity is what gave the African his qualities and
In “A Worn Path,” Jackson character is related to the theme of love, persistence and racial prejudice. Jackson demonstrates love for her grandson as she risk her life through the cold weather to retrieve medicine for her grandson. Her devotion and bravery showed the love that she had for her grandson. In today’s society, you would not see family or friends who care enough for their loved ones to risk their life to help get something that is beneficial for someone else. People who would go great lengths to protect someone they love is rare. Not only did she care for him, but she loved him. Jackson perseverance is shown as she faced the hostile and corrupt world. While keeping warm she must crawl under barbed-wired fences, walk through a maze and protect herself from the wild animals. Not only are these her problems as she takes her occasionally trips to Natchez, she must deal with the pain of age, poverty and racial prejudice, which was a factor during her lifetime. Although she faced perseverance she stayed consistent. The story does not focus on racial issues, but it is implied in the context. Consider the hunter who made racial slurs about blacks going to see Santa Clause or the attendant and shopper calling her granny. Interestingly, the people who she encountered at first were somewhat treating her with kindness. The narrator does not reveal their race, but
In Sherman Alexie's What You Pawn I Will Redeem the main character and protagonist Jackson Jackson embarks on a heroic quest to raise funds to buy his grandmother's powwow regalia from a pawnshop. Although he is homeless, Jackson finds it necessary to purchase the regalia. The narrator of Linda Hogan's “Heritage” would argue that this regalia proves to be an intrinsic part of Jackson's identity. Jackson has nobody of true significance in his life except his two friends, Rose of Sharon and Junior, who are not really his friends. As a result, Jackson longs for a connection to something or someone who will provide him a purpose in life. Jackson, albeit only having just seen the regalia for the first time, holds a deep connection to his family's