The short story, “Indiana Education” by Sherman Alexie, a Native American writer and filmmaker, is told in the first person, revisiting the experiences of Victor, and his schooling from first to the twelfth grades both on and off. Each academic year was a snapshot of an experience, on the differences of what it means to be a non-white student in an area that still struggled under the effects of colonization. Even though it’s been hundreds of years since European explorers came to North America, settlers, and the government pushed for western expansion into Indian territories, Native Americans slowly saw their land and culture diminish as they were relocated to reservations. Feelings of oppression become obvious for victor. The treatment …show more content…
Starvation is portrayed in more than one way throughout this story. There was self-imposed starvation of the white girls Victor heard throwing up in the bathroom. Other forms incuded starving for a real education and a better quality of life. In "Ninth Grade," the author writes, “Sharing colored skin doesn’t make two men brothers.” Brotherhood doesn’t mean that those who look like you or share your ethnic or national identity will be your support system. Those who are different from you can become your support system. For example, when Victor fainted in the school gym, the teacher did not help him. Instead, Victor's white friends showed brotherhood toward him by taking him to the hospital. This particular situation speaks to me because I am African American and I’ve been discriminated by an individual the same color as me. Resilience involved the ability to recover and get back up from difficult or traumatic circumstance. Victor being a high school basketball star and the valedictorian of his class, is an example of resilience in this story. Other people on the reservation like Wally Jim, who took his own life, fell victim to the surrounding negative circumstances. Victor defied the odds against him and chose to continue fighting. I admire his courage and his