the lone ranger and tonto fistfight in heaven short story

Most of the urban Spokane he portrays are worn down by a life of loneliness and marginalization. How are Spokane people who live on the reservation different from those who have left it, according to Alexie? How does this difference tie into the collection’s themes?Īlexie suggests that while many Spokane aspire to move off the reservation, life in the outside world can be even harsher. Even though they do not become close after their trip to Phoenix in 'This is What it Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona', the young men are able to put their differences aside for a higher purpose: honoring themselves and their community. His relationship with Thomas Builds-the-Fire is a testament to this change. He is an ideal vehicle for Alexie to explore life on the reservation because he survives many dark experiences, including alcoholism and problematic relationships with white people, but he gradually becomes more mature over the course of the collection and realizes that he must find solace in creativity and imagination rather than drinking and unhealthy relationships. As he grows older, he experiences many of these problems firsthand before eventually quitting alcohol and moving toward an uncertain future. Victor is portrayed as an innocent child in 'Indian Education' and 'Every Little Hurricane', but already he is a witness to problems on the reservation like poverty and alcohol-related diseases. How does Victor grow and change over the course of the collection? Over the course of the collection, she demonstrates that even people of strong character can make mistakes, and the true test of their character is whether they are able to make amends. In both of these stories, the plots are driven by Norma's impulsive behavior (she rejects both Junior and Jimmy based on spur-of-the-moment decisions) and her eventual return to her senses. However, the stories also acknowledge her impetuous side – in 'Tumor', she impulsively abandons her husband Jimmy and has an affair in 'Powwow,' Junior Polatkin describes her long history of sexual affairs before she got married. On one hand, she is a maternal figure who commands great respect among the tribe, and is a major force in celebrating and sharing Spokane culture.

Alexie showcases two sides to Norma's personality. However, she becomes a more central character in 'Somebody Kept Saying Powwow' and 'The Approximate Size of My Favorite Tumor'. She plays a very minor role in that story, only appearing briefly to break up a fight between Victor and Thomas Builds-the-Fire when they are teenagers. Analyze the character of Norma Many Horses.Īlexie first introduces Norma Many Horses in the story 'This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona'.

The lone ranger and tonto fistfight in heaven short story