Life on the Spokane Indian reservation was not easy for Sherman Alexie. Members of the Native American community were plagued by poverty, violence, and substance abuse (Donovan, 2011). Sherman was no different. He was troubled by his family’s misfortunes and his health. Sherman stood by his Native American heritage. He had a love for books and writing; he often wrote about his culture with some blended elements to create life into his stories. By analyzing Sherman Alexie life growing up on the Spokane Indian reservation, one can see how his experiences have impacted his adulthood and how that is displayed in his writing throughout his career and his story “What You Pawn I Will Redeem.
Growing up on the Spokane Indian reservation folks dealt with poverty, violence and substance abuse. Both of Alexie’s parents were alcoholics, along with himself. Neither Alexie or his father was violent; however, they would go off on drunken binges. Alexie displayed these binges in his work, as he portrayed with the character Jackson Jackson in his story “What You Pawn I Will Redeem.” Jackson was a kind man but
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He underwent surgery at six months old; however, his first seven years were marked by epileptic seizures, doses of powerful sedatives, and frequent medical interventions to ensure a healthy intellectual development (Donovan, 2011). While his disease kept him from doing many physical things, he excelled in academics. Alexie was teased a lot as a young kid, which caused him to feel like an outcast. He spent a lot of time reading and writing. Alexie struggled with his identity, as did the character Jackson. In the story, “What You Pawn I Will Redeem,” the main character Jackson dropped out of school, divorced a few things and fathered a few kids (Alexie, 2003). Alexis displayed his troubled childhood in character Jackson; both suffered from a crisis identity searching for something or someone to make them feel