Themes In The Lone Ranger And Tonto Fistfight In Heaven

Defining exactly what shapes ethnic identity in the United States is the hardest question I can imagine being asked. As a child born in the United States, I find this question so difficult because I have been exposed to a large variety of cultures within the small boundaries of my own family. This makes it very difficult to determine one, or even a few characteristics that define ethnic identity. In the case of many of these novels, the task of defining ethnic identity is not so complicated. The list of determinants that I believe to define ethnic identity includes language, geographic location, and tradition.

Throughout “The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven” the theme of resilience is deliberately presented. Native Americans past and present continue to face stifling issues such as racism, alcoholism, isolation and suicide. Sherman Alexie makes it his obligation in his stories and poems to show Native American resiliency through humor. By using his characters to show resiliency through humor Alexie presents humor as an integral part of Native American survival.

The theme of racism and prejudice was shown throughout the play, it was mainly displayed by the ranger and Tim’s cousin William. There were many examples of the theme of racism and prejudice such as the conversation between Peggy and her father the ranger, During the Conversation

In the story "The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven" by Sherman Alexie, points out the hardships of being a Native American back in the 20th century. These hardships were racism, alcoholism, poverty and isolation. The story takes place in the reservation and it is about a young Native American whom struggles in society because of his skin color, family's addictions and fights. The narrator moves to Seattle with his white girlfriend who he seems to have an odd relationship because they are constantly fighting. He becomes an alcoholic and moves back to the reservation after a break up with his girlfriend.

In the short story “Indian Education” by Sherman Alexie the theme that is represented in each grade is racism. Throughout Alexie’s life he experiences more and more accounts of racism in school. Also, Alexie experiences levels of hardship as he gets older. Thus, the story’s theme statement could be summarized that racism enables hardship in one's life.

Analysis of Sherman Alexie's 'The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven' and 'Smoke Signals'

In recent years, there has been increased discussion about the treatment of minorities in the U.S. While there have been numerous laws passed that protect their freedoms, many Americans maintain a negative mindset toward other ethnicities. Due to people’s reservations, our country has been unable to make substantial progress toward equality. In The Nation’s article, “The Truth About Race in America: It’s Getting Worse, Not Better,” by Gary Younge, the author utilizes factual information, historical allusions, and related quotes to effectively contend that race relations are worsening within the United States.

Geronimo, Crazy Horse, and Sitting Bull are all noble Indian warriors of the recent past. Each warrior symbolizes courage, hope, and bravery in battle. The mighty warriors proved themselves in battle time and time again. These men were looked up to with the highest regards of their people. Indian children grew up with stories of these brave warriors being passed down from generation to generation. A great respect is seen for the legendary warriors of the past. As times change and the days of Indian and cowboy battles are behind us; how is it possible for a warrior to still be relevant in the modern day? Sherman Alexie expresses this idea of a modern-day warrior in his book The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven. Many times,

Throughout history, different people are treated with isolation and discrimination. This is shown in our culture through songs, movies, television shows, and other forms of art in every corner of the world. For example, the movie and song “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” parallels the oppression of minorities, specifically with the ‘Code Talkers,’ in the novel, Code Talkers, by Chester Nez, during World War II.

Discrimination has been the brawn of injustices done to people of color. Most don't know of the Chicano struggle in the United Stated for the past four to six generations. Chicanos in America were forced to face chaos, poverty, and pain. Chicano, by Richard Vasquez is a perfect example of how Mexican Americans and Chicanos were treated in America during the 90's. Although Chicanos faced a burdensome life in America, lots of customs and culture immigrated to America with them, which has fabricated the Chicano Culture. The book Chicano profoundly demonstrates how hard it was for a Mexican family to immigrate to America. Once Chicanos started a life in America, it was very hard to get out of it. Mexicans were not socially accepted because

Racism and racial stereotypes have existed throughout human history. The radical belief associated by thinking the skin color, language, or a person’s nationality is the reason that someone is one way or another has become extremely detrimental to society. Throughout human existence it has sparked tension between groups of people and ultimately influenced wars and even caused slavery. Racism in America dates back to when Native Americans were often attacked, relocated, and assimilated into European culture. Since then, racism within the states has grown to include various other cultures as well. In the essays by Brent Staples, Bharati Mukherjee, and Manuel Munoz, they discuss the various causes as well as the effects that racial stereotyping can place on a victim and the stigma it leaves behind for the society to witness.

The different sides of the clashing beliefs meet each other with violent opposition, but it is mostly the pro-government Indians who are the violent aggregators in this film. The civil war between the two extremes seems to be more than just the pro-government Indians harassing many of the traditionalists they come along. Nadell has also come up with a different theory as why this violence continues. Nadell believes that there are “two factors [which] appear to lie at the heart of this cycle of violence: Instrumental demand and racial self alienation” (Nadell 41). The instrumental demand and self alienation can be observed in the pro-government Indians. The pro-government Indians feel the need to rely on violence in order to gain the strategic benefit of intimidation of the traditionalists and material benefits such as “kickbacks from land leases” (Thunderheart). There is also racial self-alienation between the pro-government and the traditionalist. They are both supposed to be the same tribe and same people, yet they racially discriminate against each other because they have determined that the other half is doing a great injustice. The racial self-hate only provides more fuel to the fire as the pro-government Indians continue to harass and instigate the civil war between them.

Internalized oppression is just one factor that contributes to the inescapability of intergenerational trauma. Alexie uses figurative language to demonstrate that the cycle of oppression is further perpetuated by the concept of racial inferiority, poverty, and failure to achieve an education in his short story “The Only Traffic Signal on the Reservation Doesn’t Flash Red Anymore”. The main character, Victor, sits on the porch with his friend Adrian as they reminisce their past and hope for others futures. Victor claims that “Indians [could] easily survive the big stuff... It’s the small things that hurt the most. The white waitress who wouldn’t take an order, Tonto, the Washington Redskins” (49).

Post-Colonialism has been somewhat beneficial to the Native Americans in recent years. Post-Colonialism is the political or cultural condition of a former colony. Obviously, when discussing Post-Colonialism in North America it’s mostly going to be about the founding of the continent and its original thirteen colonies. Throughout the years after the colonization of North America, the Native Americans haven’t really had the best outcome, especially when it comes to the way that they are treated. They haven’t been treated with respect when it comes to being in the film industry, politics, or even just living life day to day as an average person. Sherman Alexie’s “The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven” and “Postcards to Columbus” have

Everyone has their own struggles that they go through in life. Some may be self inflicted, while others are just the cards that were dealt to them. Sherman Alexie’s story collection The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven tells of the cards that were given to people on a reservation. This compilation of stories was the framework for Smoke Signals, which won two awards at Sundance Film Festivals. Alexie has also written other novels and poems in regard to the Native American culture.