The Lone Ranger And Tonto In Heaven By Sherman Alexie

A collection of twenty-two stories narrated by different characters, The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven by Sherman Alexie illustrates the lives of modern Native Americans on the Spokane Indian Reservation and their hardships, which include despair, alcoholism, and poverty. Tribal members hold high hopes for the young who have extraordinary talent while doubting that they will achieve success and watching them succumb to alcoholism. These stories, while sad and gloomy, are told with humor and wit, making the stories bearable to the reader. The grabbing title came to Alexie in a dream, in which the Lone Ranger and Tonto got in a fight in heaven (McNally, 2001). Sherman Alexie grew up on the Spokane Indian Reservation. Many of his works, such as Reservation Blues, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, and Ten Little Indians, are based on his experiences living on the reservation. According to Alexie, â€Å"[e]very theme, every story, every tradgedy that exists in literature takes place in my community† (McNally, 2001). The stories in The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fight in Heaven are based on things that he has experiences or witnessed growing up on the reservation. Thomas Builds-the-Fire, Victor Joseph, and Junior Polatkin, who are reoccurring characters in the stories, also appear in Alexie’s first novel, Reservation Blues (McNally, 2001). The first story, â€Å"Every Little Hurricane,† paints a vivid picture of life on the reservation. During a New Year’s party,Show MoreRelatedThe Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, by Sherman Alexie1475 Words   |  6 PagesIn the short stories â€Å"A Drug Called Tradition,† â€Å"The Approximate Size of My Favorite Tumor,† and â€Å"The Only Traffic Signal on the Reservation Doesn’t Flash Red Anymore† collected in The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, author Sherman Alexie uses humor to reflect the life on the Spokane Reservation. In â€Å"A Drug Called Tradition,† the story starts with a joke by having Thomas sit down inside a refrigerator in response to Junior’s comment as to why the refrigerator is empty. The Indians areRead MoreThe Lone Ranger And Tonto Fistfight In Heaven, By Sherman Alexie826 Words   |  4 PagesBorn and raised on an Indian reservation in Washington state, Sherman Alexie is a writer b est known for his fictional stories; The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven. Although from a poor family, Alexie always had access to books and learned to read from a young age. Alexie expresses his struggle with education while growing up and becoming a writer in a community where most kids have trouble even reading. Alexie shows his audience, the educators of marginalized and deprived students, thatRead MoreAnalysis Of The Lone Ranger And Tonto Fistfight In Heaven By Sherman Alexie1763 Words   |  8 Pagesevolves. Sherman Alexie’s short story â€Å"The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven† tells the story of a Native American living in current day America. It explains the struggles he faces living in a period that his group of people haven’t moved on too. Many Native Americans still live in their reservation and stay separate from the â€Å"real world†. Natives only know their way of life so when they try to change that, they don’t know what to expect. In Sherman Alexie’s short story â€Å"The Lone Ranger and TontoRead More Women in The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven by Sherman Alexie1404 Words   |  6 PagesWomen in The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven by Sherman Alexie A warrior is recognized as sonmeone who battles for his/her beliefs. Even after receiving mortal wounds many times, such a person never leaves the battlefield. However, the inspiring and metaphorical idea of a warrior can certainly extend beyond the actual battlefield, and into the universal battle of living life. A woman must face this world like a warrior. She must endure the pain of a past that oppressed her, the adversityRead MoreAnalysis Of Sherman Alexie s Lone Ranger And Tonto Fistfight Heaven 1598 Words   |  7 Pagesstory of morality in fiction, historical fiction, or anything related to such topics. Consequently, most books read in popular culture have a lesson; novels are a form of education. An example of this has been shown through Sherman Alexie’s Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven. In this novel, he attempts to shed light on the struggles Native American people, specifically on the Spokane Reservation, withstand through multiple stories and perspectiv es. Some novels, if their perspective of truth hasRead MoreAnalysis Of Sherman Alexie s Lone Ranger And Tonto Fistfight Heaven 1534 Words   |  7 Pagesthe story of morality in fiction, historical fiction, or anything related to such topics. However, most books read in popular culture have a lesson; novels are a form of education. An example of this can be shown through Sherman Alexie’s Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven. In this novel, he attempts to shed light of the struggles Native American people, specifically on the Spokane Reservation, withstand through multiple stories and perspectives. Some novels, if their perspective of truth isRead MoreAnalysis Of Sherman Alexie s The Lone Ranger And Tonto Fistfight Heaven 1435 Words   |  6 Pageslegendary 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 mode rn-day warrior in his book The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven. Many times, throughout the book Alexie brings up the idea of warriors and uses their actions to portray them to seem noble. Multiple characters in the book want to change their current outlook on life and breakRead MoreRhetorical Analysis Of Sherman Alexie s The Lone Ranger And Tonto Fistfight Heaven 1448 Words   |  6 PagesHumor: Sherman Alexie’s Comic Connections and Disconnections in The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven,† the author Joseph L. Coulombe, writes about the humor used in Sherman Alexie’s short stories. Coulombe argues that in Sherman Alexie’s stories that humor is essential for character development and the creation of bonds between these characters. He often makes statements discussing how humor allows Alexie’s characters to show strength and connect to their Indian heritage. â€Å"The Lone RangerRead MoreAn Analysis Of Sherman Alexie s The Lone Ranger And Tonto Fight Heaven 1119 Words   |  5 PagesMake It Out Alive In Sherman Alexie’s ‘The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fist Fight in Heaven’ (2005 edition) alcoholism plays a huge role throughout the book. Particularly in the short stories ‘Amusement’, ‘The Only Traffic Signal on the Reservation Doesn’t Flash Red Anymore’ and ‘A Train is an Order of Occurrence Designed to Lead to Some Result’. Kids on the reservation always start off good with school and sports keeping them busy, but somewhere along the way they always seem to fall off track. That isRead More Comparing Black Elk Speaks and The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fist Fight in Heaven1679 Words   |  7 PagesComparing Black Elk Speaks and The Lone Ranger and Tonto FistFight in Heaven      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Traditionally, Native American Literature has been an oral genre. Although Native American Literature was the first American literature created, it has been the last to be recognized -and, to some extent, is still waiting for full recognition (www.usc.edu). With the Indian being forced to assimilate, their literature was forced to take on a written form. Although the traditional way of storytelling has changed