as close to the truth

In the genre of fiction, the reader is told a story through the vehicle of a narrator. However, not all narrators are reliable and the reader must rely on evidence in the text and clues throughout to get the “real” story. In Sherman Alexie’s “The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven,” the narrator is not reliable.
One example of the narrator’s unreliability is when he talks about his relationship with his ex-girlfriend. In his internal dialogue he says that his ex-girlfriend left him, and then immediately afterwards, he changes and says that “no, [he] left her and [doesn’t] blame her for anything. That’s how it happened” (182). The narrator starts with one version of how his relationship ended, but then completely switches the story. His reversal of what happened should be seen as more of his rationalization and way of dealing with his failed relationship, than as fact. He cannot tell his story straight, regardless of which version is true, and therefore, is rendered unreliable and not trustworthy.
Another example is in the actual dialogue between the narrator and the 7-11 graveyard-shift cashier. When the narrator goes to the checkout with his Creamsicle, the cashier asks if he needs anything else (184). The narrator responds with a “no” and then turns around and orders a Cherry Slushie. When asked what size, he says “large” but then changes it to “small” (184). The narrator cannot make up his mind and in that is not too reliable. Additionally, the narrator, in his internal dialogue, mentions that he “knew how to make and break promises” (184), implying that the narrator does not keep his word and is not honest, thus the story he tells should not be taken at complete face value. Furthermore, the narrator, during the Slushie-size exchange, that he “changed the story” (184). The narrator knows that he did not originally order a small Slushie, and chooses to tell the reader this in the retelling of the story. So, the narrator intentionally lies and the reader is becomes directly aware of his unreliability through his admission that he indeed did change his story.
The narrator in “The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven,” cannot be trusted completely to tell the true story. So, the reader should not see the story as a retelling of a series of actual events, but rather read underneath and between the words to see the story of the narrator.