Social Realism In Sherman Alexie's Literary Works

3. Social Realism in Sherman Alexie’s Literary Works

If we scrutinize the literary works of Sherman Alexie, we can realize that social realism has been

impacted in most of his writings, especially, poems, short stories, and novels. Alexie wants to

show a faithful image of social reality of postmodern age through creating characters, plot-

construction, and themes. Alexie wants to highlight his subtle attitude towards social issues of

his home country. What he wants to share with the people of the postmodern era is, equally true

for any country of any age. Consequently, this submission is prepared to introduce social realism

of Alexie’s age so that we can get a clear-cut concept of psychological conflicts of both man and

woman.

Alexie never writes about

Thomas Builds-the-Fire, a misfit storyteller of the Spokane tribe; Victor,

an angry alcoholic guy and Junior, “the happy-go-lucky failure” appear both in the novel,

Reservation Blues (1995) and in the short story collection, The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fist

Fight in Heaven (1993). Alexie calls these three characters “the unholy trinity of me.”

Undoubtedly, these characters bear the testimony of his social reality because Alexie wants to

unmask the alcoholic addiction and cruel traits of human character.

The protagonist of Indian Killer is a Native American, who was adopted out by a white couple.

According to Alexie, Indians call Indian children adopted out by non-Indian families “lost

birds.” One of Alexie’s cousins was adopted out, which inspired him to create such character.

Here the novelist has shed a new light of his autobiographical issues through his protagonist. In

this regard, Alexian Indian Killer can be compared with David Lawrence’s Sons and Lovers.

Both novelists have focused on their own familial conflicts, forbidden attraction, psychological

trauma of their respective age, because both Alexie and Lawrence have tasted the