When reading a book I’m usually very particular about needing to know who is talking and whether or not it’s happening in the past, present, or is a speculation of the future. I know myself well enough to be fairly certain that I would be put off this book if someone described the style of writing Morrison uses. There’s something about the way she writes; the style is not quite stream of consciousness, not quite typical narrative and honestly I don’t know how to classify it, but it does works for me as a reader. It’s the flow of things, it’s not choppy but more like a river that gently takes you along with it that makes it work. Especially the part when Denver tells Beloved of how she was born. If I went back I could probably pick out the spot where the story changed from bring narrated by Denver to being narrated an omniscient third party, but I never noticed the change as I was reading, it was that subtle. That’s the aspect that impresses me the most about Morrison as an author. To have a reader’s attention so fully that you can slip that kind of thing past them is very impressive and, I imagine, hard to do successfully.
If I have any complaint about this book, it’s that I don’t see where it’s going. Most books that I’ve read in the past have a very specific purpose that means something to the characters – a goal they are trying to achieve. I don’t see a set goal as such for this story, although I’m beginning to think it’s not that clean cut. I know in class Prof. Cruz encourages us to think about the effects of color, gender, and the time period the book is set in, and I wonder if that’s the entire point of the story; to make the reader think about those things and their effects. But that in itself raises the question of how deep the audience is supposed to read into the words. I always get stuck with the question of how do I know if I’ve gone farther than the author intended?
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Beloved's Purpose
Beloved's appearance in the novel is nothing short of extraordinary. Many contextual clues hint that she is, in fact, Sethe's baby who previously haunted 124. The most obvious hint is, of course, her name. "Beloved" happens to be the only word Sethe got engraved on her deceased child's tombstone. Also, while Beloved is a young woman, she still has characteristics of an infant. When she first shows up at 124, she is "holding on to furniture, resting her head in the palm of her hand as thought it was too heavy" (67). She can't even walk properly, and a heavy head is a classic infantile trait. No newborn can lift their own head. As the story develops, we also find out that Beloved follows Sethe from room to room, watching her, not wanting her to leave her sight. Beloved has a fascination with Sethe, as a daughter has with her mother when she is young.
Beloved's true purpose in the novel has yet to be revealed, but I have a theory. I think that she has come to get the painful stories out of Sethe. As Amy the "whitegirl" said, "Anything coming back to life hurts." But if Sethe wants to feel any semblance of healing or closure, she must talk about the pain and hurt she has experienced her whole life. Beloved constantly asks Sethe probing questions about her earrings and mother, questions Denver was never going to ask because she only cares for the stories that include her. And besides that, Sethe admits that she would probably be annoyed by Denver's probing, but when it is Beloved asking, she is much more willing to answer. I think that Beloved has reentered Sethe's life because Sethe needs her. She needs to get her stories out or she will continue to suffer silently and alone.
Beloved
After reading the second part of “Beloved,” things are starting to become more clear in the storyline. I can follow not only the storyline, but also I am beginning to understand the character’s story lines more so than before. I feel as though I am more drawn the Denver’s character, and especially her interaction with Beloved. Denver just sounds like a sad girl, one who feels trapped in a house she does not wish to belong to. Her need to take care of others, as in Beloved, was a great parallel to that of Sethe. Denver’s need to care for Beloved was like Sethe’s need to care for her baby while talking about the men taking her baby’s milk away. I thought it was an interesting parallel, considering that Denver tends to dislike Sethe for almost trapping her in the home.
Before they had even mentioned how Beloved is actually the baby girl that died, I started noticing the clues that were supposed to point the reader in that direction. Beloved just seems like a creepy character, for lack of better descriptive words. Until we learn even more about her, she just seems like a leech, preying on Sethe and especially Denver. Denver feels this need to be connected to Beloved, truly believing this is her dead sister. Beloved is Denver’s only connection in a world that feels so lost to her. By taking care of her when she is sick, Denver is making up for Beloved’s death in the afterlife (but really, how believable is a dead baby living on a bridge for 17 years or so coming back to the house?). Beloved also seems to take full advantage of Denver, treating her like a dear sister on minute and an enemy the next, which has Denver fawning over Beloved to keep her happy. It’s sad though, because Beloved even tells Denver that Sethe is the one she needs in her life, saying “She is the one I need. You can go but she is the one I have to have” (89). It’s foreshadowing Beloved’s character as a leech, and perhaps is out for revenge. It will be interesting to see how it is that Beloved died and why she felt the need to come back and prey off of the family.
Before they had even mentioned how Beloved is actually the baby girl that died, I started noticing the clues that were supposed to point the reader in that direction. Beloved just seems like a creepy character, for lack of better descriptive words. Until we learn even more about her, she just seems like a leech, preying on Sethe and especially Denver. Denver feels this need to be connected to Beloved, truly believing this is her dead sister. Beloved is Denver’s only connection in a world that feels so lost to her. By taking care of her when she is sick, Denver is making up for Beloved’s death in the afterlife (but really, how believable is a dead baby living on a bridge for 17 years or so coming back to the house?). Beloved also seems to take full advantage of Denver, treating her like a dear sister on minute and an enemy the next, which has Denver fawning over Beloved to keep her happy. It’s sad though, because Beloved even tells Denver that Sethe is the one she needs in her life, saying “She is the one I need. You can go but she is the one I have to have” (89). It’s foreshadowing Beloved’s character as a leech, and perhaps is out for revenge. It will be interesting to see how it is that Beloved died and why she felt the need to come back and prey off of the family.
Denver and Beloved
Two out of the four main characters in Beloved have me quite confused: Denver and Beloved.
From the beginning Denver has had me confused. She seems moody and angry. She’s all over the place! One minute she’s rude and angry at Paul D for simply being in her house and for making her mother happy, and the next she’s completely fawning over Beloved, nursing her back to health and waiting on her hand and foot. I can’t wrap my head around her motives most, if not all of the time.
Then there’s Beloved. She doesn’t ever seem to form complete sentences and she acts so peculiarly, sick and sad one minute and dancing the next. Not only does she seem a little out of it, but she showed up out of nowhere. I completely understand Paul D’s reservations about her. With her clean feet and her strange behavior, her existence in the story is most definitely going to stir things up in 124. I also feel like she’s supposed to be representative of some theme but I cannot quite put my finger on it.
The most confusing parts about Beloved and Denver so far is their conversation at the end of this most recent segment we were to read. Beloved reveals something of her motivations for showing up at 124 to Denver and Denver immediately understands.
But I didn’t. And I feel like maybe I was supposed to? Either way, I’m looking forward to catching up with Denver and Beloved.
From the beginning Denver has had me confused. She seems moody and angry. She’s all over the place! One minute she’s rude and angry at Paul D for simply being in her house and for making her mother happy, and the next she’s completely fawning over Beloved, nursing her back to health and waiting on her hand and foot. I can’t wrap my head around her motives most, if not all of the time.
Then there’s Beloved. She doesn’t ever seem to form complete sentences and she acts so peculiarly, sick and sad one minute and dancing the next. Not only does she seem a little out of it, but she showed up out of nowhere. I completely understand Paul D’s reservations about her. With her clean feet and her strange behavior, her existence in the story is most definitely going to stir things up in 124. I also feel like she’s supposed to be representative of some theme but I cannot quite put my finger on it.
The most confusing parts about Beloved and Denver so far is their conversation at the end of this most recent segment we were to read. Beloved reveals something of her motivations for showing up at 124 to Denver and Denver immediately understands.
But I didn’t. And I feel like maybe I was supposed to? Either way, I’m looking forward to catching up with Denver and Beloved.
Storytelling: Listening and Learning
At first read, this book is confusing and a little frustrating to get started because the author just throws the reader into the story, without ease or consideration. Now that I’ve finished the second section of this book that was assigned, I have a new appreciation for how it’s structured and the themes of the story. At first, I was not very interested in the book simply because it started off so randomly that it made me uncomfortable. Now, however, I am really noticing the themes, one of which is the power of storytelling.
The story, in reference to the storytelling theme, begins with Sethe obliging to Denver’s questions of her past, but Sethe never tells any story in full detail. She does this because she does not want Denver to have her memories as her own because they are too hard for even Sethe to bear. Sethe calls this rememory. Sethe has many horrible memories, some of which involve Denver, but she always stops talking before she gets to such memories. When Beloved gets into the picture, however, and she begins asking Sethe questions about her past, Sethe tells her stories in full detail. Sethe discovering Beloved’s need for storytelling allows her to become her own therapist in reliving the horrors of her past that she has tried so hard to shut out and forget. In the story, Beloved always gets Sethe to tell her a story by avoiding the actual request. Instead, she says, “Tell me you diamonds.”(pg.69) or “Your woman she never fix up your hair?”(pg.72) which intrigues Sethe enough to tell her story in detail.
The significance of Sethe, Beloved, and Denver finding peace and an almost therapeutic medication through storytelling, either telling or listening, is directly related to the fact that the author is doing the same thing in storytelling. Telling the stories of African Americans in the 1800s, seems therapeutic for Toni Morrison, and in return, I believe she is hoping that the readers empathize for the characters so they will understand the struggles of her race. Its one big metaphor for listening and learning.
The story, in reference to the storytelling theme, begins with Sethe obliging to Denver’s questions of her past, but Sethe never tells any story in full detail. She does this because she does not want Denver to have her memories as her own because they are too hard for even Sethe to bear. Sethe calls this rememory. Sethe has many horrible memories, some of which involve Denver, but she always stops talking before she gets to such memories. When Beloved gets into the picture, however, and she begins asking Sethe questions about her past, Sethe tells her stories in full detail. Sethe discovering Beloved’s need for storytelling allows her to become her own therapist in reliving the horrors of her past that she has tried so hard to shut out and forget. In the story, Beloved always gets Sethe to tell her a story by avoiding the actual request. Instead, she says, “Tell me you diamonds.”(pg.69) or “Your woman she never fix up your hair?”(pg.72) which intrigues Sethe enough to tell her story in detail.
The significance of Sethe, Beloved, and Denver finding peace and an almost therapeutic medication through storytelling, either telling or listening, is directly related to the fact that the author is doing the same thing in storytelling. Telling the stories of African Americans in the 1800s, seems therapeutic for Toni Morrison, and in return, I believe she is hoping that the readers empathize for the characters so they will understand the struggles of her race. Its one big metaphor for listening and learning.
a pulsing, red light
In Toni Morrison’s novel, Beloved, the presence of color is constantly tied to the emotions of the characters and helps in communicating the horrific terrors of the characters’ pasts. The use of color creates very powerful imagery in that it is closely linked to emotion, and since color is visual, it allows the reader to “see” the emotions woven into and under the plot of the novel. Thus, the reader is more readily able to feel the emotions felt by the characters and can empathize with the characters’ plight. Morrison’s use of color to communicate emotion situates the reader right in the midst of the novel and furthers her intent to put the reader in an ex-slave’s mind and memory (or rememory). Moreover, color is something visual but not tangible on its own; color is without physical bounds outside the context of actual things. Therefore, reading color helps the reader experience the emotions so completely and without warning, just like the workings of rememory, and the reader has no choice but to go on.
Also, the baby ghost that haunts the house at #124 Bluestone Road is crucial to the novel’s plot. The ghost is expresses itself not only through its violent actions, but also through color, or the lack thereof throughout. Babies and infants use color as their first tool to identifying and familiarizing themselves with their surroundings. The presence of color further grounds the haunting of the baby ghost in the novel.
When Paul D arrives at Sethe’s home at #124, immediately upon entering, he is struck by “a pool of pulsing red light…It was sad. Walking through it, a wave of grief soaked him so thoroughly that he wanted to cry” (11). The red, pulsing light is representative of the presence of the baby ghost who is the little girl that Sethe lost. The red is symbolic of the blood from her death and the pulsing is symbolic of a beating heart. The red and pulsing creates and image for the reader, and creates a sense of sadness, because the reader knows that the baby is dead and this is her ghost continuing to “live.” Furthermore, the image is all the more saddening, because Paul D, a strong man, is upset by the “pulsing, red light,” so much so that he is “soaked” with sadness and grief. Paul D’s sadness helps place the reader in the house and in that sadness, which makes the events easier to understand and accept, even though some of the events are sometimes too hard to read. The power of the red is incredibly strong and continues to have a presence in the novel.
Also, the baby ghost that haunts the house at #124 Bluestone Road is crucial to the novel’s plot. The ghost is expresses itself not only through its violent actions, but also through color, or the lack thereof throughout. Babies and infants use color as their first tool to identifying and familiarizing themselves with their surroundings. The presence of color further grounds the haunting of the baby ghost in the novel.
When Paul D arrives at Sethe’s home at #124, immediately upon entering, he is struck by “a pool of pulsing red light…It was sad. Walking through it, a wave of grief soaked him so thoroughly that he wanted to cry” (11). The red, pulsing light is representative of the presence of the baby ghost who is the little girl that Sethe lost. The red is symbolic of the blood from her death and the pulsing is symbolic of a beating heart. The red and pulsing creates and image for the reader, and creates a sense of sadness, because the reader knows that the baby is dead and this is her ghost continuing to “live.” Furthermore, the image is all the more saddening, because Paul D, a strong man, is upset by the “pulsing, red light,” so much so that he is “soaked” with sadness and grief. Paul D’s sadness helps place the reader in the house and in that sadness, which makes the events easier to understand and accept, even though some of the events are sometimes too hard to read. The power of the red is incredibly strong and continues to have a presence in the novel.
The Underlying Meaning of the Confusion and the Corn
The first thing I noticed about this passage from Beloved, written by Toni Morrison, was the overall confusion of the writing and layout of the novel. The book begins by saying, "124 was spiteful"(3), an extremely confusing way to start. As I read on, I found myself asking questions about the identity of "124", if it was a character or something more. When I found out it was the house in which Sethe, the main character, lives, I was even more confused. Why does Morrison start the novel out this way by personifying the house? I feel like the true answer will only reveal itself upon completing the novel. The level of confusion only heightened for me upon reading more, as the narrator passes seamlessly from the present day in Ohio back to her days on the Sweet Home plantation in Kentucky. This puzzling organization could symbolize the confusion Sethe feels as a former slave living in a world where slavery is prohibited yet African Americans are still ostracized and or persecuted. This discriminatory treatment is first highlighted in a scene when Sethe says, "Outside a driver whipped his horse into the gallop local people felt necessary when they passed 124"(5). To live in the U.S. at this period in time as a former slave must have been extremely trying and it most definitely accounts for the confusing design of the novel. Sethe is trying to live her life after slavery as a free human yet, because of the constant victimization, her thoughts of her days spent on the plantation are brought up from the depth of her memory and are interfering with her daily life, justifying the confusing storyline.
Another aspect of this passage which I found to be interesting is the scene in which Sethe and Halle have sex in the cornfield. The scene is full of sexual imagery represented by the cornfield in which they lay, which Sethe highlights when she says, "No matter what all your teeth and wet fingers anticipated, there was no accounting for the way that simple joy could shake you"(33). The imagery associated with the sexual relations that are going on is represented by the corn, described as "fine and loose and free"(33) and also the "juice" from the husks. While this imagery is no doubt referring to intercourse between Sethe and Halle, I believe it could also be referring to freedom from slavery. The narrator uses repetition with the words "loose" and "free" when describing the corn and also mentions the "jailed-up flavor ran free"(33). These allusions point to the pleasure one would feel after being set free from slavery as well as the obvious sexual overtones. Sethe is yearning for her freedom and, once attained, feels a pleasure she describes earlier as the "simple joy". Therefore, while the imagery in this scene between Sethe and Halle is referring to their sexual relations, I believe it is also alluding to the future freeing of the slaves and the happiness they will feel at that point.
Saw that coming
Considering that Toni Morrison said that she wanted the reader to be thrown into a foreign-seeming world by reading Beloved, and considering how the beginning of the book did exactly that, I found it oddly predictable that Beloved showed up. The moment I read the line, "She had new skin, lineless and smooth, including the knuckles of her hands," on page 61, I made a guess that was later more or less confirmed when she said her name was Beloved and further confirmed with her conversation with Denver. And I'm willing to bet that even the people who didn't notice it at the above line at least had very strong suspicions when she said her name.
This is interesting to me, because of all the things that should be predictable or that should make sense in this book, a dead two-year-old coming back to life as a 20-year-old seems to be lowest on the list. And, thinking back, the thing that seemed to make the most sense to me back in the beginning was that there was a ghost haunting the house. Everything else was sort of a whirl of memories that were mentioned briefly and never brought up again.
And yet, once Beloved starts asking Sethe all those questions, those memories are brought up again, and everything becomes clearer. It's as though by being a paradox of predictable unpredictability, she's a catalyst for making everything else make sense. She brings things out in the open, and as the confused characters learn more about each other, they begin to heal and become less confused, and we, the readers, understand more about them and about these snippets of memory that they keep mentioning briefly and then suppressing.
But this healing/understanding process continues even when Beloved isn’t asking questions, since conversations about her seem to lead to more memories, such as when Paul D tells Sethe that Halle saw the two boys steal her milk. And there’s the separate storyline of Denver’s birth, which has nothing to do with Beloved’s questions or presence. Of course, this storyline doesn’t cause any understanding between the characters, it only helps the reader, so this is a separate case. When the memories help the characters understand, it’s usually related to Beloved.
This is interesting to me, because of all the things that should be predictable or that should make sense in this book, a dead two-year-old coming back to life as a 20-year-old seems to be lowest on the list. And, thinking back, the thing that seemed to make the most sense to me back in the beginning was that there was a ghost haunting the house. Everything else was sort of a whirl of memories that were mentioned briefly and never brought up again.
And yet, once Beloved starts asking Sethe all those questions, those memories are brought up again, and everything becomes clearer. It's as though by being a paradox of predictable unpredictability, she's a catalyst for making everything else make sense. She brings things out in the open, and as the confused characters learn more about each other, they begin to heal and become less confused, and we, the readers, understand more about them and about these snippets of memory that they keep mentioning briefly and then suppressing.
But this healing/understanding process continues even when Beloved isn’t asking questions, since conversations about her seem to lead to more memories, such as when Paul D tells Sethe that Halle saw the two boys steal her milk. And there’s the separate storyline of Denver’s birth, which has nothing to do with Beloved’s questions or presence. Of course, this storyline doesn’t cause any understanding between the characters, it only helps the reader, so this is a separate case. When the memories help the characters understand, it’s usually related to Beloved.
Beloved
In Toni Morrison’s Beloved the character of Beloved interrupts the plot suddenly and without warning. Just as in the opening chapters, the reader is thrown into unknown territory as “a fully dressed woman walked out of the water” (60). The reader is completely mystified just as the inhabitants of 124 are by this strange girl. Many clues in the text point to Beloved as the actual deceased daughter of Sethe, and with a mysterious power, Beloved is able to begin revealing the past that Sethe has tried so desperately to forget.
In many ways, though Beloved is described as a woman, she possesses many infantile –like qualities that suggest she is, in fact, the ghost of Sethe’s firstborn. Beloved can barely walk, “holding on to furniture, resting her head in the palm of her hand as though it was too heavy for a neck along” (67). Just like a baby, Beloved can’t walk properly or hold her head up. She also spends a significant amount of time sleeping, and has an intently strong attachment to Sethe (her mother). Besides her childlike tendencies, Beloved also seems to have a knowledge of Sethe’s past. She asks Sethe, “Where your diamonds?” (69) when there is no way she could truly have known Sethe ever had earrings.
Another quality in Beloved is a peculiar power to reveal the past. When Beloved asks Sethe to tell her stories of the past, instead of only feeling pain as before, Sethe “found herself wanting to, liking it” (69). Beloved even provokes this storytelling in Denver when she begins telling of her birth in elaborate detail. As Denver proceeds, the text describes her as “seeing it [the story] now and feeling it—through Beloved” (91). Beloved’s presence allows Denver to experience what her mother experienced. Overall, Beloved’s character acts as somewhat of a relief to Denver’s loneliness, and also as a window into both Sethe’s and a brief portion of Paul D’s past. She interrupts the seemingly happy future after the trip to the carnival, causes a wedge in relationships, and adds only more to the intriguing plot of Beloved.
In many ways, though Beloved is described as a woman, she possesses many infantile –like qualities that suggest she is, in fact, the ghost of Sethe’s firstborn. Beloved can barely walk, “holding on to furniture, resting her head in the palm of her hand as though it was too heavy for a neck along” (67). Just like a baby, Beloved can’t walk properly or hold her head up. She also spends a significant amount of time sleeping, and has an intently strong attachment to Sethe (her mother). Besides her childlike tendencies, Beloved also seems to have a knowledge of Sethe’s past. She asks Sethe, “Where your diamonds?” (69) when there is no way she could truly have known Sethe ever had earrings.
Another quality in Beloved is a peculiar power to reveal the past. When Beloved asks Sethe to tell her stories of the past, instead of only feeling pain as before, Sethe “found herself wanting to, liking it” (69). Beloved even provokes this storytelling in Denver when she begins telling of her birth in elaborate detail. As Denver proceeds, the text describes her as “seeing it [the story] now and feeling it—through Beloved” (91). Beloved’s presence allows Denver to experience what her mother experienced. Overall, Beloved’s character acts as somewhat of a relief to Denver’s loneliness, and also as a window into both Sethe’s and a brief portion of Paul D’s past. She interrupts the seemingly happy future after the trip to the carnival, causes a wedge in relationships, and adds only more to the intriguing plot of Beloved.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
A Battle of the Mind
In “The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven,” Sherman Alexie sets-up the narrator as someone to criticize for his failure to transcend the limited expectations he had set for himself due to his overwhelming notion that no one else believed he could succeed outside of his reservation.
Throughout the short story, although the police officer (assumed to be white) informs the narrator that “[he doesn’t] fit the profile of the [white] neighborhood” (183), most every other time a limited expectation or stereotype of Native American Indians is presented, it is done so by the narrator, implying that he is internally building upon and supporting the limited stereotypes and expectations he believes whites hold towards Indians. Speaking on behalf of the 7-11 clerk, the narrator says, “He knew this dark skin and long, black hair of mine was dangerous. I had potential.” The clerk never mentions anything about the Indian narrator’s appearance that made him nervous, and although his actions were recognizably cautious to the narrator, it could be assumed that anyone working the graveyard shift at 3AM would be nervous by a lingering customer. The narrator, himself, opens the story with his tale of being “robbed once too often” as a graveyard clerk at a Seattle 7-11 (181). He also identifies with the clerk’s caution to his presence in the store at 3AM when he says, “He looked me over so he could describe me to the police later. I knew the look. One of my old girlfriends said I started to look at her that way, too” (182). In other words, he’s admitting to having acted in the same way when he was a clerk. Therefore, although he is attempting to blame the clerk’s suspicious gazes on racism towards him as an Indian customer, his argument is weakened by his ability to directly recognize what the clerk is doing due to his past experience in the same position.
Through examples such as these, it seems as though Sherman Alexie is attempting to mock the narrator’s position, pointing out the impossibilities of conquering pre-existing limiting stereotypes/expectations if one is not willing to conquer the tendency to subconsciously support those stereotypes/expectations. When the narrator eventually flees predominantly white America (this is implied by the narrator’s comments and actions, but never directly mentioned) and returns to his reservation, he succumbs to accepting an old Indian poet’s belief that “Indians can reside in the city, but they can never live there” (187). This idea works to stir the reader’s emotions (at least it did mine) to slight frustration that the narrator never made it evident that he truly fought to transcend negative Indian stereotypes, and, instead, he succumbed to them.
This is what makes Alexie’s short story so powerful, because it stirs readers to realize the unfairness and frustrations of racism by placing them inside the mind of someone who is personally battling it himself – showing that it is not only a fight against the ignorance of an opposing race, but it is a battle against the mind’s tendency to grow to believe in the ignorance as well.
Native American identity expressed by an unreliable narrator
Sherman Alexie skillfully uses an unreliable narrator throughout the story, “The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven.” The Native American narrator describes other characters in the story as racially profiling him in his encounters. In the scene at the 7-11, the graveyard-shift worker seems to suspect the narrator of intending to rob his store. However, the readers cannot be sure whether the employee truly feels this way or the narrator suspects him to be racist because he is white. In a sense, both characters are racially profiling each other. All information and details about the employee come from the narrator. He explains that the clerk was “searching for some response that would reassure him that [the narrator] wasn’t an armed robber.” This biased information suggests that the narrator is paranoid that people view him differently because of his ethnicity.
However, people do view him differently because of his ethnicity. When he drives through a “nice residential neighborhood” a police officer stops him and tells him that he is ‘making people nervous’ and he doesn’t ‘fit the profile of the neighborhood.’ Here, the narration seems more reliable because of specific quotes used to tell the story. After experiencing situations like this so often, it becomes understandable that the narrator considers all white people to use racial stereotypes against him.
Even his girlfriend seems to racially profile him. She accuses him of being ‘drunk all the time and stupid.’ Readers can sense that there is truth behind her claim because the narrator is so hurt and offended by her words. He explains that the couple’s “arguments were just as damaging as a fist.” In the flashback scene of his dysfunctional relationship, the narration is somewhat unreliable when discussing insignificant details. He claims that his girlfriend was “a genius.” Knowing that the narrator is not considerably intelligent, his account of his girlfriend’s IQ is not to be taken literally.
The narrator’s explanation of his family’s expectations for him seems skewed as well. He complains that they expect him “to rise above the rest of the reservation like a fucking eagle or something.” While perhaps they have high expectations for him, this exaggerated claim shows once again that his perception of other characters in this story is somewhat clouded by his past experiences of injustice and failure.
However, people do view him differently because of his ethnicity. When he drives through a “nice residential neighborhood” a police officer stops him and tells him that he is ‘making people nervous’ and he doesn’t ‘fit the profile of the neighborhood.’ Here, the narration seems more reliable because of specific quotes used to tell the story. After experiencing situations like this so often, it becomes understandable that the narrator considers all white people to use racial stereotypes against him.
Even his girlfriend seems to racially profile him. She accuses him of being ‘drunk all the time and stupid.’ Readers can sense that there is truth behind her claim because the narrator is so hurt and offended by her words. He explains that the couple’s “arguments were just as damaging as a fist.” In the flashback scene of his dysfunctional relationship, the narration is somewhat unreliable when discussing insignificant details. He claims that his girlfriend was “a genius.” Knowing that the narrator is not considerably intelligent, his account of his girlfriend’s IQ is not to be taken literally.
The narrator’s explanation of his family’s expectations for him seems skewed as well. He complains that they expect him “to rise above the rest of the reservation like a fucking eagle or something.” While perhaps they have high expectations for him, this exaggerated claim shows once again that his perception of other characters in this story is somewhat clouded by his past experiences of injustice and failure.
Viewing the Stereotype
In Alexie’s The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, I love the use of stereotypes. Usually the idea of a stereotype isn’t a flattering one, and most people trying to be politically correct avoid using them at all costs. But the narrator in Alexie’s story seems to revel in them, using them to highlight specific aspects of his character. Like that he’s Native American. The story briefly brings up two of the typical stereotypes associated with being Native American - the narrator’s brother’s excessive drinking and his family living on a reservation. The narrator brings up the stereotypical mistrust of non-whites by describing both the convenience store clerk and the police officer’s distrust of him. Even in just describing the convenience store setting, Alexie stereotypes the cashier’s appearance and attitudes.
People don’t like to admit it but stereotypes have a big part in our society. But the sheer number to be found in Alexie’s short story is really surprising. I have read a considerable number of short stories and it’s true that stereotypes are more common in short stories than in longer novels simply because a novel has the time to develop character. However Alexie’s excessive use of the stereotype brings the reader’s attention to the notion, instead of it being something the reader glosses over without question.
People don’t like to admit it but stereotypes have a big part in our society. But the sheer number to be found in Alexie’s short story is really surprising. I have read a considerable number of short stories and it’s true that stereotypes are more common in short stories than in longer novels simply because a novel has the time to develop character. However Alexie’s excessive use of the stereotype brings the reader’s attention to the notion, instead of it being something the reader glosses over without question.
'Falling Through the Cracks'; a Narrator's Definition of Failure.
Witness: “Looked like they all do. Acne scars and a bad haircut, work pants that showed off his white socks, and those cheap black shoes that have no support.” (Alexi, 181)
Detective: “Can you tell me anything more about the suspect?”
Witness: “No, I don’t think I can.”
Through the short story, “The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven”, Alexi expresses many stories simultaneously that shape the life of the speaker and the setting using the device of narration. With two scenes of direct dialogue, the opening and closing scene, Alexi creates a sense of closure, connecting the two incidents, leading the narrator to believe that one scene in the 7-11, and the other, the conversation with his ex-girlfriend, are directly related. Through the details of the story, Alexi creates the concept that the narrator believes that he is a failure to himself, and that he has ‘slipped through the cracks’, become simply a face with no impact on anything because he cannot “grow up”.
Creating the mood of the scene by linking himself with the 7-11 clerk who has less power than the narrator in this situation, Alexi expresses the narrator’s self-assessed failure in personal life. Through commentary assuming the lifestyle of the clerk, such as the typical nondescript appearance, sitting “at home alone, flipping through channels and wishing he could afford HBO”, the narrator identifies the failure of the clerk while identifying himself with that failure by the line “My arches still ache from my year at the Seattle 7-11”. These details, and the lifestyle of the narrator that has not left a lasting impact on anything or has a purpose gives the reader the impression that the narrator feels lost and out of control of his confused situation in the world. Through the incident where the narrator deliberately holds power over the 7-11 clerk, the narrator gives the reader a sense that this is the only time he can have the power over his own life and life choices, and feels the most in control; feels like he belongs to a world in otherwise he doesn’t “fit the profile of”.
In the closing scene, the narrator has a conversation with his ex-girlfriend, who, evident to the reader, will not enter back into a relationship with the narrator. Her last words to him, “I want to change the world”, is a direct contrast to the narrator’s own life, which has no direction or meaning, a direct contrast to the narrator who “doesn’t know” what he wants to do with his life. Through the short story, Alexi develops the concept of a life spiraling out of control, being lived each day without insight into the future, and how that manner of living causes the narrator to have a lessened identity, ‘fall through the cracks’, and fulfill his standards of a failure.
Detective: “Can you tell me anything more about the suspect?”
Witness: “No, I don’t think I can.”
Through the short story, “The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven”, Alexi expresses many stories simultaneously that shape the life of the speaker and the setting using the device of narration. With two scenes of direct dialogue, the opening and closing scene, Alexi creates a sense of closure, connecting the two incidents, leading the narrator to believe that one scene in the 7-11, and the other, the conversation with his ex-girlfriend, are directly related. Through the details of the story, Alexi creates the concept that the narrator believes that he is a failure to himself, and that he has ‘slipped through the cracks’, become simply a face with no impact on anything because he cannot “grow up”.
Creating the mood of the scene by linking himself with the 7-11 clerk who has less power than the narrator in this situation, Alexi expresses the narrator’s self-assessed failure in personal life. Through commentary assuming the lifestyle of the clerk, such as the typical nondescript appearance, sitting “at home alone, flipping through channels and wishing he could afford HBO”, the narrator identifies the failure of the clerk while identifying himself with that failure by the line “My arches still ache from my year at the Seattle 7-11”. These details, and the lifestyle of the narrator that has not left a lasting impact on anything or has a purpose gives the reader the impression that the narrator feels lost and out of control of his confused situation in the world. Through the incident where the narrator deliberately holds power over the 7-11 clerk, the narrator gives the reader a sense that this is the only time he can have the power over his own life and life choices, and feels the most in control; feels like he belongs to a world in otherwise he doesn’t “fit the profile of”.
In the closing scene, the narrator has a conversation with his ex-girlfriend, who, evident to the reader, will not enter back into a relationship with the narrator. Her last words to him, “I want to change the world”, is a direct contrast to the narrator’s own life, which has no direction or meaning, a direct contrast to the narrator who “doesn’t know” what he wants to do with his life. Through the short story, Alexi develops the concept of a life spiraling out of control, being lived each day without insight into the future, and how that manner of living causes the narrator to have a lessened identity, ‘fall through the cracks’, and fulfill his standards of a failure.
The Racial Tensions in this Title
The title of Alexie’s The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven not only provides racial innuendo and stereotyping, but it translates a historical story to the reader. “The Lone Ranger” was a radio show in the 1930s, which later turned into a television show. Tonto is the Native American counterpart, or sidekick. In this story, the narrator is what the reader would categorize as the “Tonto” character because he is of Native American descent. However, the difference between the Lone Ranger and Tonto is that the main character in this story is not a sidekick, but he is alone. The Lone Ranger can be categorized as all the whites that the narrator associates with throughout the story. The two races do not work together, leaving the Native American narrator in isolation. The main character is not only isolated from whites in the community, but also by fellow Native Americans. When he goes back to the Indian Reservation, people judge him and say that they knew he could not last in the “white” world.
Throughout this work, the speaker points out how strangers, and those close to him, have little expectations for him. For instance, the cop and store clerk at first thought that he was up to no good, when in reality he was not doing anything wrong or illegal. The use of the word “Fistfight” in the title symbolizes the struggle for equality that the speaker possesses, and also, since it is a “fight” it is easy to assume that this is a challenging, and losing battle.
There is excellent attention to detail and word choice that is used with the 7/11 scene and the scene with the police officer. The conversation seems more realistic between the narrator and the 7/11 clerk, possibly because I don’t know if I can imagine a cop, in today’s society, saying, “You’re making people nervous. You don’t fit the profile of the neighborhood.” On the other hand, the store clerk, though starting off with racial tension, creates casual conversation and trusts that the speaker is not going to rob the store. All of these instances where racial tension is extreme, makes me believe that this story was set in a different time period. Maybe I am just an optimist, but I would like to think that “brutality” among other minorities has changed.
Questions
In Sherman Alexie’s “The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven,” I found the scenes depicting the interchange between the narrator and the 7-11 clerk particularly interesting, as I feel that they best illustrate the unreliability of this narrator. The clerk’s words may be his own (and accurately recounted by the narrator), but his actions, his thoughts, and his emotions are all minutely described by the narrator as though he knew exactly what the clerk was thinking at all times. Since this story is told in the first person point of view, it is impossible for the narrator to know these intimate details about another character. The narrator may guess and make assumptions about the other character, but he can never know if these assumptions are true.
The narrator’s characterization of the clerk as a nervous, lonely individual probably stem from his own experiences. After all, the narrator himself once worked the night shift at a 7-11, where he “got robbed once too often” and was once even “locked in the cooler” (181). Such a traumatizing experience must have stuck with the narrator and made him instinctively wary when inside convenience stores at night. Even though he is the customer, he imagines that the clerk feels the same fear he felt when working in such a potentially dangerous location at such a vulnerable hour. The narrator also refers to the clerk as “[not] ugly, just misplaced and marked by loneliness” (183). We know at this point in the story that the narrator is also lonely, having gone through a bad break-up while living in Seattle (where he worked as a 7-11 clerk himself). This is another example of the narrator projecting his own emotions onto the clerk: the narrator was once “home alone, flipping through channels and wishing he could afford HBO or Showtime,” so he assumes that this clerk shares in his poverty and loneliness (183). Perhaps most tellingly of all his statements, the narrator finally asserts that “There was something about him I liked, even if it was three in the morning and he was white” (184). This sudden yet strong empathy for a complete stranger implies that the clerk reminds the narrator of himself (even though the clerk “was white” while the narrator is Native American). Clearly, we as readers are supposed to question this narrator’s reliability in telling the story, and by questioning him, we must also question why he would feel this need to assume that others automatically label him as “dangerous” just because of his appearance; why he assumes he “would just get…into trouble” if he stated aloud that he “didn’t really fit the profile of the country” (183). Questioning the motives and instincts of the narrator should lead us to question ourselves and our current, white-dominated society – why else would the narrator feel the need to subconsciously adopt this instinctive assumption that others fear him because of his ancestry if there was no truth to this assumption?
The narrator’s characterization of the clerk as a nervous, lonely individual probably stem from his own experiences. After all, the narrator himself once worked the night shift at a 7-11, where he “got robbed once too often” and was once even “locked in the cooler” (181). Such a traumatizing experience must have stuck with the narrator and made him instinctively wary when inside convenience stores at night. Even though he is the customer, he imagines that the clerk feels the same fear he felt when working in such a potentially dangerous location at such a vulnerable hour. The narrator also refers to the clerk as “[not] ugly, just misplaced and marked by loneliness” (183). We know at this point in the story that the narrator is also lonely, having gone through a bad break-up while living in Seattle (where he worked as a 7-11 clerk himself). This is another example of the narrator projecting his own emotions onto the clerk: the narrator was once “home alone, flipping through channels and wishing he could afford HBO or Showtime,” so he assumes that this clerk shares in his poverty and loneliness (183). Perhaps most tellingly of all his statements, the narrator finally asserts that “There was something about him I liked, even if it was three in the morning and he was white” (184). This sudden yet strong empathy for a complete stranger implies that the clerk reminds the narrator of himself (even though the clerk “was white” while the narrator is Native American). Clearly, we as readers are supposed to question this narrator’s reliability in telling the story, and by questioning him, we must also question why he would feel this need to assume that others automatically label him as “dangerous” just because of his appearance; why he assumes he “would just get…into trouble” if he stated aloud that he “didn’t really fit the profile of the country” (183). Questioning the motives and instincts of the narrator should lead us to question ourselves and our current, white-dominated society – why else would the narrator feel the need to subconsciously adopt this instinctive assumption that others fear him because of his ancestry if there was no truth to this assumption?
You took our land
A little glass half empty? Perhaps. A little contradictory? Maybe. It's okay though, he's a minority. I don't say that to sound sarcastic, because I do think there is a bit of naivety on the part of some residents of the midwest who aren't exposed to as many Native Americans as those who live in the eastern United States. I have family that lives in the East and have been there for extended stays several times, and I can say that I have seen first hand how some Indians are treated by whites, and it's not very well. Because of this visual evidence I've acquired, I trust the narrator when he says "he'd been robbed once too often." Some might think he is unreliable, which is fair, due to his constant contradictories such as, "she left me not long after that. No, I left her . . . that's how it happened." Let's examine this statement first before we call him a liar. How many times after being broken up with, heart left crumbled, has someone asked, "did s/he break up with you?" To which, at least I (most of the time) simply reply with, "No" or "it was mutual." It's a common thing to make a small fib about, because it's embarrassing.
Another large contradictory statement comes near the end of the short story when the narrator is heading to the gym to play basketball with other Indians and claims that "the most intense competition on any reservation is Indians vs. Indians." He then however goes against this statement when he plays a game against a team full of Indians and one white player and states that this "kid needed to be beaten by an Indian, any Indian." A little contradictory, but is this racist? I wouldn't say so. This narrator lived in Seattle. He was use to being on the white man's ground and he paid dearly for it by being robbed and looked at as a threat to anyone with pale skin. This white man is now on Indian ground and if I was him I would do the same thing. Stick it to the white in any way possible. Is it so bad that he wanted to beat him in a basketball game? Sure, he might be a pessimistic and to us even racist towards white people, but after all that he's been through do you blame him? We took their land damnit, and we've been keeping them down ever since. We gave them alcohol, gambling, and a couple of acres of land that the U.S. could repossess at any time if it really wanted to. Cool.
Another large contradictory statement comes near the end of the short story when the narrator is heading to the gym to play basketball with other Indians and claims that "the most intense competition on any reservation is Indians vs. Indians." He then however goes against this statement when he plays a game against a team full of Indians and one white player and states that this "kid needed to be beaten by an Indian, any Indian." A little contradictory, but is this racist? I wouldn't say so. This narrator lived in Seattle. He was use to being on the white man's ground and he paid dearly for it by being robbed and looked at as a threat to anyone with pale skin. This white man is now on Indian ground and if I was him I would do the same thing. Stick it to the white in any way possible. Is it so bad that he wanted to beat him in a basketball game? Sure, he might be a pessimistic and to us even racist towards white people, but after all that he's been through do you blame him? We took their land damnit, and we've been keeping them down ever since. We gave them alcohol, gambling, and a couple of acres of land that the U.S. could repossess at any time if it really wanted to. Cool.
Identity Crisis??
First of all, I really enjoyed this short story! I liked the style of writing and the narrator was very entertaining. Unfortunately, though, it was too bad that there were so many negative Native American references and stereotypes in this story.
The question was proposed, how does one formulate a Native American identity amid stereotypes of Native Americas? Well, there's no easy answer to this question. Because people formulate certain perceptions of people with different color skin, or different color hair, or just different in general, it is difficult for these "different" people to break the molds of their stereotypes. Native Americans, for instance, have a stereotype of being drunks. Clearly not all Native Americans are drunks, but because some Native Americans drink a lot all Native Americans are stereotyped as drunks.
Another stereotype can clearly be seen through the character, Tonto. Tonto is supposed to be a shy, quiet side-kick that never speaks his mind. Because a lot of people watched the show with this character, they stereotype Native Americans as being like Tonto: quiet, shy and soft-spoken. It's difficult for Native Americans to form their own identities when other people have already formed it for them.
There's no easy or simple way for a person to form a Native American identity amid all the stereotypes that exist today. The best a Native American person can do is act however they would act normally. Since not all Native Americans are drunks or soft-spoken, people will eventually realize that this is a horrible and simply incorrect stereotype of all Native Americans. It's hard to change people's minds once they formulate an opinion about something, but the best a Native American person can do is act however they would act, without any stereotypes in mind.
whiney bitch perhaps?
The narrator of Sherman Alexie’s “The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven” provides a very pessimistic depiction of the fate of Indians in contemporary white American Society. Throughout the story, the narrator gives example of competitions between whites and Indians. The first people to compete in the narrative are the narrator and the 7-11 cashier. The narrator even describes this incident as a “demonstration of power.” The narrator explains that he eventually fails because the store clerk is only “tickled” by the competition. I view the Creamsicle as sort of a peace offering between the store clerk and the narrator. Just as the narrator compares the clerk’s salesmanship to the United States treaties with Native American tribes, the Creamsicle is sort of a meaningless symbol of friendship. I find it interesting that the narrator accepts this peace offering, but instead of eating it, he lets it melt all over his hand. In this way the narrator reveals that all he can do now that he has lost this competition is to watch the symbol of peace melt away.
This same idea of failure is highlighted in the competition between the narrator and the white BIA basketball player. However, the narrator doesn’t give much detail as to how the one-on-one game ended, he does reveal the feelings of the entire Spokane Indian tribe as the white kid one. He mentions that, “We knew he was better that day and every other day.” In this sentence, the narrator reveals that the competition was never just between the narrator and the BIA kid, but also the whole tribe and the white basketball player, or all Indians and the white American community. Alexie’s narrator also pushes this idea of ultimate failure on the part of the Indian community by stressing the fact that the white kid was “better that day and every other day.” This leaves no hope for the Native American community, which is extremely depressing and pessimistic. The narrator argues in this short story that the Indian community and the white community are fated to fight forever, and the Indians are sure to lose.
This same idea of failure is highlighted in the competition between the narrator and the white BIA basketball player. However, the narrator doesn’t give much detail as to how the one-on-one game ended, he does reveal the feelings of the entire Spokane Indian tribe as the white kid one. He mentions that, “We knew he was better that day and every other day.” In this sentence, the narrator reveals that the competition was never just between the narrator and the BIA kid, but also the whole tribe and the white basketball player, or all Indians and the white American community. Alexie’s narrator also pushes this idea of ultimate failure on the part of the Indian community by stressing the fact that the white kid was “better that day and every other day.” This leaves no hope for the Native American community, which is extremely depressing and pessimistic. The narrator argues in this short story that the Indian community and the white community are fated to fight forever, and the Indians are sure to lose.
An Alien in His Native Country
In Sherman Alexie’s “The Lone Ranger and Tanto Fistfight in Heaven” there seems to be the common thread of racial injustice that we have been dealing with for the majority of this class. There were a few striking scenes in which the narrator is treated in absurd ways merely because he is of Native American decent. In some instances the racial stereotyping is done by outsiders but in some instances the narrator intentionally stereotypes himself for his own amusement.
An example of the first case is when the narrator is driving around town trying to blow off some steam from a recent fight he has had with his girlfriend. He is pulled over for no reason other than he doesn’t fit the neighborhood’s “profile”. The narrator says he wants to tell the officer, “I don’t fit the profile of the country”(Alexie 183). This is the narrator poking fun at how ridiculous of a situation he and his race is involved in. He is stating that he was the native people of this land and it is absurd for him not to fit the profile of his native country.
The narrator seems to take pleasure at some points in the fact that people racial discriminate against him and makes light of the situations. He is poking fun at the fact that he is considered an outsider in his native country. He goes to a 7-11 and since he used to work at one he knows that he is immediately seen as a threat as soon as he enters. The narrator states, “He knew this dark skin and long, black hair of mine was dangerous”(Alexie 183). The narrator pushes all the right buttons just so he is discriminated against to the highest extent. He ends up laughing about the situation and shows that he is harmless underneath his “dangerous” exterior.
troubles in paradise
Sherman Alexie’s short story, “The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven,” is told from the perspective of an unreliable narrator, a Spokane Indian, who has troubles integrating into his society. In the course of the story we follow the protagonist through a series of digressions that paint his struggle with white society as well as himself. These episodes lean against a single element: the protagonist’s relationship with a white woman. This relationship is the foundation to the character’s struggle for maturity, following the disjointed arch of the story from student years in Seattle, to hanging in the background during life on the reservation, and emerging with the character’s maturation in the end.
From the beginning, the central character approaches the relationship with his girlfriend as a “hooded executioner” and with “war paint and sharp arrows,” meaning he has its termination in mind from the onset. (185) He is a minority, a red-skinned Indian, living in Seattle with a white woman, so there is a sense of great tension in sustaining this relationship in a white society which profiles strangers. Caustic words exchange between the two characters – she, knowing “exactly what to say to cause the most pain,” while his hollow insults bounce off – attributable to the Indian’s drinking problem. Simultaneously, there is a sense of jealousy from the protagonist toward his girlfriend’s job. He works in a 7-11, while she is a kindergarten teacher. This is not to say that he wants to oversee six year-olds but it is a want for a secure place in society, and he releases this want in the form of negativity directed at her. Their connection is severed and he goes back to his people, carrying her memory with along the way.
From the beginning, the central character approaches the relationship with his girlfriend as a “hooded executioner” and with “war paint and sharp arrows,” meaning he has its termination in mind from the onset. (185) He is a minority, a red-skinned Indian, living in Seattle with a white woman, so there is a sense of great tension in sustaining this relationship in a white society which profiles strangers. Caustic words exchange between the two characters – she, knowing “exactly what to say to cause the most pain,” while his hollow insults bounce off – attributable to the Indian’s drinking problem. Simultaneously, there is a sense of jealousy from the protagonist toward his girlfriend’s job. He works in a 7-11, while she is a kindergarten teacher. This is not to say that he wants to oversee six year-olds but it is a want for a secure place in society, and he releases this want in the form of negativity directed at her. Their connection is severed and he goes back to his people, carrying her memory with along the way.
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