First "TLRATFIH" Response (the first 75 pages)

Frank Ross asked Alexie about the political nature of his writing, quoting him as saying he does not like to beat readers over the head with it. Alexie replied: “I like to make them laugh first, then beat them over the head . . . when they are defenseless.” Describe some examples from the stories that demonstrate this tactic. Choose one example to focus on and explain how the humor and political point work together as in the above quote.

The realities Victor faces in his daily life exude humor through the bleak picture of reality that Alexie paints. The humor masks the harshness of life on a modern Indian reservation. In the first story in this collection, "Every Little Hurricane", Alexis metaphorical relation between violence and love that his Uncles display is comical yet sad, in that it is Indians fighting Indians- a thing that has been happening since they were colonized. This type of internal conflict is slowly killing them. As Alexie notes, "One Indian killing another did not create a special kind of storm" (3). This reveals plainly to the reader the bleak truths of being an Indian in the modern world. By showing us ourselves in this manner through his work, Alexie makes us laugh at the world in which we live in, our society, our culture, and ultimately, ourselves. A special kind of hate born of love is not an emotion so hard to relate to. It's not just an "Indidan" emotion, it's something that links us with these people and their downfall. By showing us a family fight, Alexie makes us laugh. Until the bleakness of the situation is realized and "everybody [is] assessing the damage" (4): there is still an unrealized pain that spreads like a virus among the party-goers now, a melancholy that cannot be stopped: "This pain grew, expanded...The forecast was not good. Indians continued to drink harder and harder, as if anticipating" (8). The weather analogy lightens up the tone a bit but the bleak truth is still there. Only one long-term strategy for survival remains for these people and even it is failing: they must cling together or they will fall, as evidenced by Victor's frantic searching for his parents in the end of the story. The downfall of the Indian, although masked with humor, is viewed here as nearly inevitable.


On whiteness, Indian identity and colonialism, Alexie says, “What is colonialism but the breeding out of existence of the colonized? The most dangerous thing for Indians, then, now and forever is that we love our colonizers. And we do.” He goes on to say, and I paraphrase, that Indian identity now is mostly a matter of cultural difference; that culture is received knowledge, because the authentic practitioners are gone. The culture is all adopted culture, not innate. Colonization is complete. Think about how what he is discussing plays out in his stories. Choose one (a different one than for the first question) and discuss how a story represents the characters' relationship to the tribe's past and to the colonizing culture.

In the short story "Because My Father Always Said He Was The Only Indian Who Saw Jimi Hendrix Play 'The Star-Spangled Banner' At Woodstock," Victor's father feels no connection to the tribe's past. He idolizes Hendrix instead of an Indian figure, regardless if Hendrix is something from mainstream America that has no interests in his rights as a Native American. Because of this, he feels little connection with the tribe in the first place. His love of Hank Williams also shows how much of mainstream American culture he values versus his ethnic Indian culture. When asked about his choice in music, he replies: "You kids...Don't know shit about music either. Especially you Indian kids. You all have been spoiled by those drums. Been hearing them beat so long, you think that's all you need. Hell, son, even an Indian needs a piano or guitar or saxophone now and again" (30). Every other Indian who fought this colonization process before him would disagree. Victor's father has been enveloped by colonization and has been taken in by mainstream America. Victor's father only seems to spread the feeling of complete colonization not just to the people he meets, but also to his wife and son. Victor's father represents colonization here as he left the tribe to drink and ultimately die.


Alexie, Sherman. The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight In Heaven. New York, New York: 2005.