A Drug Called Tradition By Sherman Alexie - 997 Words

The three stories â€Å"A Drug Called Tradition,† â€Å"What it Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona, and â€Å"The Trial of Thomas Builds-the-Fire† in a book of short story collection called: â€Å"The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven,† published in 1993 and reissued in 2005, by Sherman Alexie, a Spokane/ Coeur d’Alene Indian. Those three short stories introduce us readers to Thomas Builds-The-Fire, a character who tells too much stories. Through analyzing Thomas Builds-The-Fire’s stories, we will understand why his community treats him like an outcast. The story about three proud Indian boys: It is night time, they aren’t doing drugs. Instead, they drink Diet Pepsi, and strangely, â€Å"They are wearing only loincloths and braids† even though they’re sipping on the Pepsis in the twentieth century. Because, as Thomas suggests, they â€Å"have decided to be real Indians tonight†, â€Å"they all want to have their visi on†¦receive their true name,† and they want to â€Å"breath in that sweet smoke† (20) from the fire they built. The word â€Å"sweet smoke† gives us readers a sense of release and relief of their suppressed feelings coming from the longing to reconnect to their roots. Later, the boys become non-alcoholic, and in a matter of seconds, â€Å"Thomas throws away the beer,† â€Å"Junior throws his whiskey through a window,† and â€Å"Victor spills his vodka† (21). At the end of this story, â€Å"the boys sing. They sing and dance and drum. They steal horses† (21), thus become heroes, proud Indian heroes. Story of Thomas andShow MoreRelatedThe Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, by Sherman Alexie1475 Words   |  6 PagesIn the short stories â€Å"A Drug Called Tradition,† â€Å"The Approximate Size of My Favorite Tumor,† and â€Å"The Only Traffic Signal on the Reservation Doesn’t Flash Red Anymore† c ollected in The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, author Sherman Alexie uses humor to reflect the life on the Spokane Reservation. In â€Å"A Drug Called Tradition,† the story starts with a joke by having Thomas sit down inside a refrigerator in response to Junior’s comment as to why the refrigerator is empty. The Indians areRead MoreSummary Of Democracy Of America By Alexis De Tocqueville1314 Words   |  6 Pagesthat Alexis de tocqueville s observation proves to be correct in the contemporary stories of Sherman Alexie. Lewis owens believes that Alexie paints a bitter picture against natives and he is correct in saying that Sherman Alexie’s stories incorrectly shows self destruction, the lack of family life and the inability of natives to blame anyone but themselves for their situation on the reservation. Sherman Alexie’s interconnected stories describes the life of Native Americans living on the spokaneRead More Comparing Black Elk Speaks and The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fist Fight in Heaven1679 Words   |  7 PagesAlthough the traditional way of storytelling has changed, Native American Literature has survived. In its written form, it is being shared with a larger population. Black Elk Speaks (Neihardt 1932) and The Lone Ranger and Tonto FistFight in Heaven (Alexie 1993) are two Native American works of literature that have gained recognition. 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When one tries to silently assimilate into the dominant culture without losing their heritage a Hybrid is created. Sherman Alexie’s combination of short stories, The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, highlights the many struggles Native Americans face within their culture while trying to fit into the White culture. The telling of these stories reveals the Hybridity NativeRead MoreSherman Alexies Indian Education1256 Words   |  6 PagesAdjusting to another culture is a difficult conce pt, especially for children in their school classrooms. In Sherman Alexie’s, â€Å"Indian Education,† he discusses the different stages of a Native Americans childhood compared to his white counterparts. He is describing the schooling of a child, Victor, in an American Indian reservation, grade by grade. He uses a few different examples of satire and irony, in which could be viewed in completely different ways, expressing different feelings to the reader