The short stories "What You Pawn I Will Redeem," and "War Dances," and the movie Smoke Signals were all written by Sherman Alexie, who we will be reading more from next week with The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. But, for now, let's focus on what we've already experienced from Alexie.
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In "What You Pawn I Will Redeem," the main character, Jackson, is a homeless Native American who has a drinking problem. He hangs out with two other homeless Native Americans named Rose of Sharon and Junior. One day, he sees what he believes to be his dead grandmother's stolen powwow-dance regalia in a pawn shop window. The story revolves around him trying to raise enough money to buy it from the shopkeeper.
Here are some discussion questions:
1. Would Rose of Sharon, Junior, Irene, Honey Boy, and the three Aleuts be considered part of Jackson's family?
2. Why was it so important to Jackson that he win back the regalia? Did he feel that it was a way that he could reunite with his long-gone family? Did he think that by winning it back, it would somehow alter his identity from that of a drunken bum to that of a hero?
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In "War Dances," several stories are being told at once. The main character finds himself partially deaf, and the doctor thinks he has a tumor. He flashes back to when his father was sick in the hospital, after having his feet amputated. There is also a small flashback to his father's death, as well as an interview with someone who served in World War 2 with his grandfather, and a strange "Exit Interview" for his father that includes a poem.
Here are some discussion questions:
3. How did the main character feel about his family, particularly his father?
4. How did the main character's father and grandfather shape his identity? Did he seem to follow in their footsteps in any way, or did he seem more like he was trying to carve out a new path?
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In Smoke Signals, the main character, Victor, leaves his reservation to collect his father's ashes in Phoenix, Arizona. A geeky kid, Thomas, goes with him. Along the way, the two learn more about each other, and teach each other a few things, too. Victor learns a secret about his father, and finds himself.
Here are some discussion questions:
5. Why was Thomas always telling stories about Victor's father? Was it because he had no father of his own to look up to?
6. Why was Victor so standoffish to everyone except his mother? Why was he so unfriendly to Thomas most of the time?
As Jackson was homeless, and in a sense, a failure, I think he wanted so badly to win back the regalia to regain a sense of pride in himself for his family and for his culture. He was living a lonely life on the streets, as we see with his two friends eventually leaving him, and I think he thought of the regalia as a piece of his family. In the end he says he was dancing with his grandmother, and I think the regalia was like a family member to him, which is why he wanted it so badly. It brought back memories of his family and made him feel "at home" again after living without that for so long.
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In Smoke Signals, I think Thomas thought of Arnold Joseph as a father figure, since he saved him from the fire and because he didn't have a father himself. As others have posted on the discussion board, I see his storytelling as a cultural tie to his Native American heritage. And, he somehow knew that Arnold Joseph was repenting all those years for starting the fire and I think the stories he told of him was to remind Victor that even though he drank and "vanished," that he was still a man he could look up to.
I think Victor was jealous of Thomas, because Thomas didn't have to live with his alcoholic father and didn't know what it was like to be beaten by him, or abandoned. Thomas always had a carefree attitude, and Victor was mad at the world and took that out on Thomas. It wasn't until Victor learned the truth about the fire and went on the journey with Thomas that he really found himself and came to appreciate Thomas and his stories.
1. Would Rose of Sharon, Junior, Irene, Honey Boy, and the three Aleuts be considered part of Jackson's family?
ReplyDeleteI think that they all count as part of his family. These are people that he shares a bond of hardship with. All of them live on the street (which is like living in the same household) and he mourns their death. Even if it doesn't appear so, the fact that me mentions the deaths shows that he cares on some level. The difficult part is if they are all in the same level of familiarity. He is not as visibly close to the Aleuts as he is to his roaming friends, but he seems to share a deeper bond with them in thought. Whereas, his time with his other friends seems more day-to-day and social. I liken it to the different familiarities in a normal family, where a son may dislike his sister and have a student teacher relationship with his father and a loving one with his mother. Some of these relationships may appear closer than others, but they are all family.
- Japheth
5. Why was Thomas always telling stories about Victor's father? Was it because he had no father of his own to look up to?
ReplyDelete- I think he was telling stories for a couple of reasons. First, he did not have a male role model so he did see Victor's father as his own. Also, he knew that Victor's father had saved him as a baby. I am sure this made him feel indebted to and respectful of Victor's father. Also, his spiritual nature and lack of living with him, may have made it easier to overlook the character flaws in Victor's father.
- Japheth
I think Thomas was telling stories about Victor’s father because he wanted something to tell. There are many stories a person can tell from their past and the past of others, but they aren’t always interesting, wise, or inspiring. I think the stories of Victor’s father are just those things and therefore make stories that are worth telling. Thomas may have looked up to Victor’s father, but I can’t see why we would. Victor’s father wasn’t that great of a guy. He was usually drunk and depressed and sometimes was mean to his wife and son. I don’t find those things to be admirable qualities in a person and wouldn’t tell stories about them for that purpose.
ReplyDeleteKelly