Alexie Indian Reservation

American citizens are entitled three inalienable rights: Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The Declaration of Independence states that these three rights are God given and humans are born with them. From the outside looking in, one can say America is an ideal place where a person can be whomever they want. Many people believe that Americans have the right to strive for greatness and are given ample opportunities to do so. Of course, there are barriers, but all people are given equal opportunity to make it regardless of the obstacles. So why isn’t everyone successful? Some believe that success is only a matter of will and only a person can decide if they want to become successful or not. This is not true; a person’s background ultimately

A Spokane Indian reservation in Wellpinit, Washington is the setting of Alexie’s book. The Indian reservation gives us a firsthand look of a poverty stricken community. The main character in the book Arnold and his family and mostly all other families living on this reservation are poor. Their community is isolated from society; the main character feels that “the reservation is meant to be a prison” in the sense that they are isolated from the real world (Alexie 216). Alexie uses this setting to show how one’s environment and community can affect their behavior. Another source that backs up these claims is The Science of Adolescence Risk-Taking; according to the chapter the influence of Environment a person’s living condition has an effect on their attitude. The text states that people who are poverty stricken tend to have “negative attitudes such as: despondency, depression, anger, or aggression” (Institute of Medicine (US) and National Research Council (US) Committee on the Science of Adolescence). According to both Tama Leventhal and Deborah Gorman-Smith, livings in a more “affluent neighborhood” children are given more advantages which are associated with academic success. Leventhal states that “living in a poor neighborhood places adolescents in terms of a host of behavioral, social, and sexual risk behaviors. In short, there is something about living

Many of the Indians living here approach life with the attitude that “Indians don’t get to realize our dreams. We don’t get those chances. Or choices. We’re just poor. That’s all we are” (Alexie 13). The community living conditions have created an attitude where it is acceptable not to amount to anything in life. This is not just an effect in this community, but most poverty stricken communities which agrees with both Leventhal and Gorman-Smith statements. Most people living in poverty stricken communities grasp a mindset where there is no escaping poverty. In the book Alexie shows us through, the main character sister Mary, that a negative viewpoint of life can spread. She had dreams to leave the reservation, but they slowly faded away. It’s almost a domino effect in the sense that if this person didn’t make it, nobody will so don’t try; this attitude spread almost like a