The Lone Ranger And Tonto….Essay Preview: The Lone Ranger And Tonto…….Report this essayThroughout history Native Americans have been oppressed by the white man. Prejudice, false promises, domination, and betrayal by the white man greatly influenced and shaped the mannerisms and lifestyle of modern Indians. As they succumb to addiction and the ravages of poverty and unemployment, the loss of tradition, culture, and identity is evident as is the palpable anger and steady demise of a formerly strong people.
Alexie depicts the reality of modern Indians on the reservation nimbly demonstrating the loss of tradition to addiction. “In a Drug Called Tradition,” Alexie gives examples of how alcohol and drugs have replaced customs and mores:
“Thomas-Builds-the-Fire hosts the second largest party in reservation history, using the money he received from some land that he inherited” (12).Victor, the narrator was asked by Junior if he had some magic mushrooms and Junior replied “No, Ive got a new drug” (13). They headed out to Benjamin Lake to try this new drug: “Itll be very fucking Indian. Spiritual shit, you know?” Victor confided in Thomas (14).
It was their belief that these drugs would induce visions essentially drawing them back to their spiritual roots. However, they were misguided given that spiritual visions are a western concept (Daniel Grassian, Understanding Sherman Alexie, 60).
In “A Train Is an Order of Occurrence Designed to Lead to Some Result,” Thomas grandfather watched his family and tribe surrender to alcoholism.He lost his job, resulting in isolation from his family and friends:“Samuel lived on the reservation, alone, for as long as he could, without money or company” (135). In the mean time, all his friends had died and all the younger people on the reservation had no interest for his stories. A disenchanted Samuel resorted to drinking in an effort to find the wisdom and courage to face his defeated existence. This fact is driven home in the following manner: “At the halfway point of any drunken night, there is a moment when an Indian realizes he cannot turn back toward tradition and that he has no map to guide him toward the future” (134).
” (136).Samuel made the most of the experience of being the first to come home, but was eventually banished in the absence of his tribe. Samuel is, however, still a devout Hindu, who came to believe his story is true. His story, however, has not been widely circulated, especially because few scholars from around the world can fully appreciate it. Many people doubt that Samuel survived the hardships he had to endure; others believe in the possibility that he was the first to escape poverty.”Samuel had a close relationship with his tribal elders and the government of Utah. The government would be responsible for the welfare of the young man, who was later placed in a loving family in a cabin in an Indian tribe. Since his death it has been alleged that Samuel was a spiritual leader, and was given the responsibility for the welfare of his younger brother.However, the government claims that Samuel was responsible for his parents’ death, and that he was able to help clean his family’s home after the events of the previous night. However, there are other discrepancies regarding the events of April 23, 1997. According to one of the authorities, those responsible for Samuel’s health are still at large as of the time of his death.<>#8222;Samuel was found floating in the sea by an Indian boat. His body lay in a shallow water below a creek, just below where the water began flowing. An autopsy revealed no signs of foul play, despite the fact that the body had been buried within shallow water for over 8 hours. His brother John became distraught when he learned about the tragedy, and refused to take responsibility for his brother’s death. A few days later, his family would return from another expedition to gather some supplies. Upon their return, they found no evidence indicating that Samuel was in any danger or that he was being protected. After searching for him, the government decided only to bury the body of the young man in the ground on April 9th. The next day, Samuel was found dead.Samuel told researchers that he had been hiding in the woods for about 10 years. No one was aware of his past, but no one ever knew where he was. The last year was Samuel’s most difficult period. In a study of tribal peoples and their beliefs regarding the fate of their ancestral cultures, the researchers found that about five hundred years after the death of Samuel Apthete of Arizona, the original inhabitants of the United States began to recognize the ancient myths about the fate of the ancestors.<>#8223; Samuel was in danger of being killed at his family’s camp. After a heated argument, some of the Indians began chanting that Samuel Apthete should be brought back, in what is believed to be retaliation for Samuel’s family’s actions in the face of the indigenous threats. Samuel continued to talk of being free, though a few of his supporters attacked him. Even though he was not charged with a crime, some of his supporters found out about his death while still attempting to intimidate him. His supporters attacked his family in private places, and they
” (136).Samuel made the most of the experience of being the first to come home, but was eventually banished in the absence of his tribe. Samuel is, however, still a devout Hindu, who came to believe his story is true. His story, however, has not been widely circulated, especially because few scholars from around the world can fully appreciate it. Many people doubt that Samuel survived the hardships he had to endure; others believe in the possibility that he was the first to escape poverty.”Samuel had a close relationship with his tribal elders and the government of Utah. The government would be responsible for the welfare of the young man, who was later placed in a loving family in a cabin in an Indian tribe. Since his death it has been alleged that Samuel was a spiritual leader, and was given the responsibility for the welfare of his younger brother.However, the government claims that Samuel was responsible for his parents’ death, and that he was able to help clean his family’s home after the events of the previous night. However, there are other discrepancies regarding the events of April 23, 1997. According to one of the authorities, those responsible for Samuel’s health are still at large as of the time of his death.<>#8222;Samuel was found floating in the sea by an Indian boat. His body lay in a shallow water below a creek, just below where the water began flowing. An autopsy revealed no signs of foul play, despite the fact that the body had been buried within shallow water for over 8 hours. His brother John became distraught when he learned about the tragedy, and refused to take responsibility for his brother’s death. A few days later, his family would return from another expedition to gather some supplies. Upon their return, they found no evidence indicating that Samuel was in any danger or that he was being protected. After searching for him, the government decided only to bury the body of the young man in the ground on April 9th. The next day, Samuel was found dead.Samuel told researchers that he had been hiding in the woods for about 10 years. No one was aware of his past, but no one ever knew where he was. The last year was Samuel’s most difficult period. In a study of tribal peoples and their beliefs regarding the fate of their ancestral cultures, the researchers found that about five hundred years after the death of Samuel Apthete of Arizona, the original inhabitants of the United States began to recognize the ancient myths about the fate of the ancestors.<>#8223; Samuel was in danger of being killed at his family’s camp. After a heated argument, some of the Indians began chanting that Samuel Apthete should be brought back, in what is believed to be retaliation for Samuel’s family’s actions in the face of the indigenous threats. Samuel continued to talk of being free, though a few of his supporters attacked him. Even though he was not charged with a crime, some of his supporters found out about his death while still attempting to intimidate him. His supporters attacked his family in private places, and they
In addition to addiction, anger is another theme that runs throughout the novel. In “Every Little Hurricane” violent tendencies are displayed by the reservation Indians. A tribal New Years Eve party becomes the venue of a fistfight between Victors uncles:
“The two Indians raged across the room at each other. One was tall and heavy, the other was short, muscular. High-pressure and low-pressure fronts” (2).
These Indians might have been fighting against themselves, but the issues for which they fought for represent much more than a one-on-one battle. Years of oppression have built up anger inside these Native Americans. The “hurricane” is simply a release of years of animosity. It starts as something small, a fight between two of the Indians in the tribe, others see, and recollect their own unfortunate incidents when they themselves were ridiculed or disrespected, and soon there are multiple battles being fought amongst tribes:
“But the storm that had caused their momentary anger had not died. Instead, it moved from Indian to Indian at the party, giving each a specific, painful