The Theme Of Revenge In Flight By Sherman Alexie

Racial segregation and mutual hate between two races can be a vicious circle that can have grievous consequences for both parts. One often knows that these types of conflicts never end well. Nevertheless, it does not discourage people from fighting amongst themselves and the abhorrence stays continuous and endless due to strong mistrust and ignorance. Jack Davis depicts this in the short story “Pay Back” from 1990, which portrays a typical situation between two groups of people who do not have enough information about each other and thus seek to fight against each other.

The book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is often associated with a various number of themes such as racism, social inequality, the importance of family values, and much more. But one of the more hidden messages of the book centers around the idea that there is a coexistence of good and evil. This theme is really brought to life the more the reader is able to understand the book. Through sub themes such as coming of age, perspective, and intense characterization of many important characters the idea of good and evil is really brought to light.

One of the first characters that Zits inhabits is a little Indian boy. When first describing his experience as the boy he is very critical and unhappy about the situation. He is nearly naked, hot, and surrounded by many Indians who are speaking in a language he cannot understand. While this is true he is comforted by the fact that he has an Indian father who cares for him. In the start of the novel Zits talks about his father who has left him when he was born. He constantly attempts to understand this betrayal in the story. While he has a father in this section, one is able to identify Zit’s desires to have a father in his life. It seems to be the only true way he can be happy. Zits says, “This guy loves me… I wonder if this is Heaven”(65). He wants a father and having one is comparable to paradise. He says

In “The Kite Runner,” Amir and Baba both betray the servants most loyal to them. Hassan and Ali both do everything in their power to please their masters and remain loyal to them. Hassan and Ali differ from their masters in numerous ways but both pairs have similar differences. The master servant relationship between Baba, Ali and Amir, Hassan both differ in the characters’ attitudes, relationships, loyalty and courage.

Isabels short story, “An Act of Vengeance” is an example of the power she depicts towards women along with her foundation, “The Isabel Allende Foundation” which she states, “Empowers women and girls worldwide”. In her text, in which a young teen’s father is killed by the same man who raped her and took away dignity and reason for living building up hate towards him. The irony is as Allende states, “She searched her heart for the hatred she had cultivated throughout those thirty years, but she was incapable of finding...Then she understood with horror that by thinking about him every moment, and savoring his punishment in advance, her feelings had become reversed and she had fallen in love with him”(Allende#1). The hatred and punishment she wanted to give him for what he did turned into an unstoppable love. Isabel Allende is a strong feminist and it can be seen throughout her writing, reason for this is her personal experiences, causing it to change the way she refers when writing about the opposite sex.

Do two wrongs ever make a right? Or as Zits contemplates in the novel Flight, “Is revenge a circle inside a circle inside a circle?” (77). In Flight, written by Sherman Alexie, the main character, a troubled Native American teenager named Zits, travels through time and different bodies while learning about many different things that pertain to and can help him in his own life such as revenge, trauma, violence, forgiveness, family, and betrayal. A scene in the middle of the novel where Zits is in the body of a young boy at the Battle of the Little Bighorn reveals to the reader (and Zits) one of the things that had the biggest effect on Zits-revenge. Zits sees in this scene how revenge in general, and his personal revenge by shooting the people in the bank, just cause more pain as taking revenge just leads to more revenge.

Revenge is often a prominent element present in numerous plots. Characters like Heathcliff or Chillingworth have sought retribution in the strongest ways against those who have wronged them. In Rudolfo Anaya’s novel Bless Me Ultima the concept of revenge also plays a hefty role. Through the eyes of Antonio, a young boy who starts making inquiries about the world, the audience can make a connection between the forces of good and evil. In order to show that life is more complicated than the two categories, Anaya uses the contrasts of the characters Ultima and Tenorio in a battle of revenge to show that the line between good and evil does not always exist.

Many individuals from another culture strive to live the “American Dream.” In the excerpt from the novel, The Hunger of Memory by Richard Rodriguez, he leaves Mexico to become a middle-class American man and further his education. Sherman Alexie writes “Superman and Me,” which shows how Alexie, a Spokane Indian, teaches himself American literature. Both of these stories intertwine to show how different cultures step out of their own and try to live the American Dream. This leads the audience wondering if culture affects how far individuals go in life? Whereas Alexie describes the ideology of an American Dream as an Indian young boy teaching himself how to read from comic books, Rodriguez describes the ideology of American Dream by escaping Mexico to seek higher education in America.

Red Cloud’s Revenge is a historical novel about the grim recollection of detailed events and days/months before the showdown between the US Cavalry & Sioux Indians on the northern plains of 1867. Fetterman, Brown & Grummond rode out ahead of seventy-eight soldiers that day on December 21st 1866. In hopes of driving out some Sioux Indians and bring some scalps home. Many soldiers’ guard was down when Fetterman’s entire force

Zits’ weak point, Justice asked Zits if he wanted to seek for revenge, Zits blindly answered yes

Betrayal hits the most not when by a friend, but by a loved one. In the novel, Flight, by Sherman Alexie, a half Native-American half Irish teen calling himself Zits, struggles with moving from abusive foster home to the next while in the constant search for a real family, real parents. In the act of crime, Zits is shot which transports him into a cycle of different bodies portraying different themes that majorly affects zits life and understanding of the world. The scene in which Zits meets a boy named Justice develops the theme of betrayal by portraying Justice, who seems like a very wise, trustworthy friend, but ends up betraying Zits which changes his view of the world forever.

There once was a boy named Zits. He was half Native American, half Irish and completely parentless. He lived in many different foster homes until he eventually met a troubled youth named Justice, who filled Zits with ideas of violence until Zits opened fire on a bank. Subsequently, Zits was shot in the head and switched bodies throughout time and space. His journey continued as he was transferred through time and different individuals, all who related to his personality and had to make choices about violence. His story is one of self-discovery as he travels until he can return to himself and reverse his horrible actions in the bank. This story is the novel Flight by Sherman Alexie. In this novel, Alexie explores many complex themes, such as the effect of a father figure on one’s personality and how compassion can help heal a person’s soul. Throughout the novel, it is evident that Zits is strongly influenced by his parental figures or lack of them. In the beginning, he chooses to let his violent role models have total control over his version of right and wrong. After his journey of learning, he realizes that he has command over his thoughts and can choose what he believes. At the end, he also has positive role models, ones that won’t force him to be violent and care for him. Because of his change in role models and ideas, he becomes a more compassionate and empathetic person.

Any short story contains a theme or themes. The purpose of a theme is to give the reader an idea of what the story is about. The short stories "An Act of Vengeance" by Isabel Allende and “The Story of an Hour" by Kate Choplin both have a major theme in common. A way to discover the theme of a short story can be told by the use of character, plot, setting, symbolism, and style. The authors of both “An act of Vengeance" and "An Story of an Hour " most likely used the theme of feminine empowerment in society mostly dominated by males because at the time in setting women's independence and freedom was not likely.

Revenge as a theme is cleverly built upon throughout Hamlet; with it being the driving force behind three of the key characters in the play. Revenge is a frighteningly vicious emotion, which causes people to act blindly and without reason. In Poe’s, “The Cask of Amontillado”, Montresor enacts revenge for reasons unknown. Hamlet in contrast, has all the motive in the world to complete his task; yet he constantly hesitates. The text reveals that the need for revenge creates a stranglehold on the genuine emotions, thoughts, and actions of three characters: Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, Laertes; son of Polonius, and Fortinbras; Prince of Norway. This hold makes the characters act beyond their standard ethical positions and makes them helpless to

In the world today, it seems as if a mistaken glance, a change of plans, or even an insufficient amount of exclamation points is enough to get someone mad at you. And not just a couple of days of the cold shoulder, but grudges full of petty revenge schemes. A mean comment on their photo, tripping them in the hallway, blocking their account… pretty stupid decisions can come from a misunderstood argument. Michael Punke’s book talks about the same things; animosity and bitterness, vengeance and outbreak. Except Fitzgerald didn’t ghost Glass, and Bridger didn’t send him the wrong emoji. They stole his survival supplies and left him alone to be killed by Native Americans, right after Glass was attacked by a bear. It’s pretty clear that Glass didn’t take the high road. And this wasn’t some half-attempted scheme for vengeance. No, Hugh Glass crawled on his hands and knees for miles in pursuit of killing the two who betrayed him. And though other characters in the book show hints of revenge, Glass is the character who shows the most radically clear signs of it, and his undying pursuit is what most clearly develops the theme. In The Revenant, the author Michael Punke uses the character Hugh Glass’s hunt for revenge to show that strong emotions and the desire for revenge can blind us from the most basic logic, and cause us to make irrational decisions.