ipl-logo

The Role Of Betrayal In Sherman Alexie's Flight

967 Words4 Pages

Betrayal can take many forms, but in Sherman Alexie’s novel Flight, it is the ultimate act of disloyalty that sets the story in motion. Zits is a troubled and emotionally fragile fifteen-year-old boy who struggles with his identity as a mixed-race Native American. Through inhabiting the bodies of different people, Zits gains a deeper understanding of himself and the world around him, ultimately emerging as a more aware individual. In Sherman Alexie’s novel Flight, the protagonist Zits undergoes a transformative journey through time-travel and inhabiting different bodies, which enables him to confront and reflect upon the devastating impact of betrayal. Specifically, as he becomes Jimmy the Pilot and embodies his father, Zits gains a deeper …show more content…

His time as Jimmy the Pilot is a crucial turning point in his journey, as it allows him to witness firsthand the devastating impact of betrayal and how it can not only affect himself, but the people around him. Zits is experiencing a moment of intense anger and frustration towards his father, who he feels has betrayed him and everyone else who has ever loved him. "I was suddenly sick of my father, his lies, of his betrayals. He had betrayed my mother, he had betrayed me, and he had betrayed every other person who had ever loved him. I wanted to stay in this plane and watch him die a thousand times. I wanted to watch him fall from the sky over and over again" (132). Through his time-traveling experiences as Jimmy the Pilot, Zits is able to witness the impact of betrayal and reflect on how it has affected his own life. In this particular moment in the book, Zits becomes aware of the ways in which his dad’s betrayal not only hurt him but also hit his mother and other loved ones. Zit's anger and desire for his father to die represent the devastating impact of betrayal, all because of his father’s actions. Zits experiences with Jimmy the Pilot offer a strong example of betrayal, and though awful events occur, Zits realizes how betrayal doesn't always just affect him. Zits has returned to the present day from Jimmy the Pilot and is struck by the reality of the ongoing struggles of betrayal, and how difficult it is to overcome. "I realized that my people had been betrayed again, that we had been lied to, that we had been used and discarded like so much garbage" (Alexie 128). Zit's transformative experience with Jimmy the Pilot allows him to come to a deeper understanding of the devastating impact of betrayal, both on himself and everyone

Show More
Related
1255 Words | 6 Pages

It was a sacrifice he was willing to make because it meant him being able to be with Annabel. This is a giant step towards going down the correct pathway because the crimes Jimmy was doing were not small, but they were big, serious crimes that would cause huge punishment. Finally, Jimmy changed his identity to Ralph D. Spencer so that no one would recognize his past of robbing safes. Jimmy was giving himself a fresh new start towards success that could lead towards new

Read More
785 Words | 4 Pages

After Lavender died, I couldn’t.” During the war, Jimmy Cross blamed himself and his thoughts of the one he loved for the death of one of his men. So he tried to erase her from his mind by burning pictures of her and putting his mind set on the lives of his men. He was ashamed of himself and felt guilt for thinking about how much he loves

Read More
161 Words | 1 Pages

Sherman Alexie, a Spokane Indian boy who taught himself to read by the age of three, grew up being ridiculed for his reading passion. However, since then, he has published numerous books and earned numerous awards, including the World Heavyweight Poetry Bout title in 1998. Alexie was raised with poor/middle-class standards, but was always surrounded by books, his father purchase. Alexie never let the stereotype of Indians slow him down, and refused to fail because he knew he smart, arrogant and lucky. He read every time he had an opportunity including: late at night, during recess, at lunch, after finishing class assignments, and while traveling to powwows or basketball games.

Read More
942 Words | 4 Pages

He witnesses pure brutality and is disgusted by what he sees, saying “he feels sick in his stomach and brain…in his soul”(72). He reflects on the idea of revenge at this point and begins to attempt to justify it saying that it is war and is just self-defense. He is forced to think about it more in-depth though when his Indian father prompts him to slit the throat of a white boy to get revenge for his own. He reflects and realizes that taking revenge is not the optimal thing to do to replace his loneliness or hurt. At this point, Zits becomes a more sensitive and reflective

Read More
786 Words | 4 Pages

”(p.3). To explain, JImmy was making more friends and was becoming a part of the Elmore Community. To sum it up, Jimmy was committed to his life in elmore due in part to him

Read More
239 Words | 1 Pages

I think of Lt. Jimmy Cross as a young man who wasn’t prepared to leave his loved ones to fight in a war. He left his normal life filled with regrets of not doing “something brave” (5). His young adult life was taken from him by the war. He had to experience things that no normal twenty four year old man would have to. He wanted to be in love with a girl and have her love him back.

Read More
522 Words | 3 Pages

The first time one is able to comprehend the meaning of a word is a momentous childhood moment that is forever engraved in one’s memory. Books and reading are significantly impactful to people’s lives; Mark Twain said that, “books are for people who wish they were somewhere else.” This statement is apropo for Sherman Alexie, who was a Native American living on a reservation during the time he learned to read. Sherman Alexie convinces his audience that an education is crucial to being successful by using personal anecdotes to captivate and create a connection with his audience and repetition to reiterate the importance of having an education. Alexie's use of personal anecdotes fortifies the impact he has on his audience.

Read More
424 Words | 2 Pages

In The First Betrayal Josan, a man who works in a lighthouse finds himself in the midst of a violent storm. Consequently the disheartening storm threatens to destroy the light in the tower, causing the ships to crash into the rocks. In the passage- The First Betrayal, Patricia Bray’s use of harsh diction and vivid imagery creates a mood of suspense. For instance, the author’s use of word choice illustrates a tone of fear.

Read More
1357 Words | 6 Pages

He learns to put the safety and well-being of his men over his personal longings. He burns Martha’s letters and stops daydreaming about her, recognizing that his distraction was extremely dangerous for his soldiers. This transformation signifies his growth as a leader and his understanding of the sacrifices required in war. Overall, Jimmy Cross’s character and the item he carries, the photograph of Martha, provide a deeper understanding of the human experiences, complexities, and vulnerabilities of soldiers during

Read More
648 Words | 3 Pages

Jimmy Cross is the first lieutenant who carries pictures and letters from Martha, the woman he loves who—sadly—does not love him back. The pictures and letters from Martha symbolize Jimmy’s longing to be loved and comforted. It is ironic that although he is the first lieutenant who is expected to take charge and lead others, yet he never took charge of his own love life. This is a regret and burden Cross carries to the end of the story. “It was very sad, he thought.

Read More
976 Words | 4 Pages

Any rational person would blame Jimmy Cross’s neglect for Lavender’s death, but the author explains how Jimmy’s emotions for Martha were some he could not control. O’Brien describes Cross’s behavior when he exclaims, “suddenly, without willing it, [Jimmy] was thinking about Martha.”(11). As a drafted soldier who longed of his life in America, Jimmy Cross simply could not stay focused in the war environment. Even more, given the circumstances, the war enervates Cross so much that he nearly loses his masculinity when he “[tries] not to cry”(16). However, having made clear that all these behaviors were one’s that Lieutenant Jimmy Cross could not control, Tim O’Brien argues that soldiers cannot always perform as society expects them to and can sometimes make mistakes in war that are

Read More
1410 Words | 6 Pages

In Sherman Alexie’s short story, “War Dances,” the narrator unravels in thoughts and takes us through events in his life. He picks up by speaking about a cockroach that ends up dying in his Kafka baggage from a trip to Los Angeles. The cockroach still appears many times throughout the story. The narrator spends quality time in the hospital with his father, who is recovering from surgery due to diabetes and alcoholism, all along the way while he, himself, discovers he might have a brain tumor, leading his right ear to talk about his father. Using a style of tragedy and care both incorporate together a symbolic story that would make even a plain reader feel touched, leading to the major occurrence of a theme of the importance of family.

Read More
2103 Words | 9 Pages

Zits has a disdain for white people because of his experience with the

Read More
1018 Words | 5 Pages

As time passes, Brian started thinking back to the events that have led to him being stranded in the forest, Brian thinks about the word "divorce." to Brian, he thinks it is a word meaning, “a tearing, ugly word that meant fights and yelling” Brian also starts to think about the word "secret," or rather, about the secret that he knows about his mother, a secret that he hasn 't shared with anyone. Thinking about all this, Brian feels his eyes start to burn and tear up, but he doesn 't cry. He glances at the pilot to make sure the tears weren 't noticed, and the pilot smiles, asking Brian if he 's ever flown in the copilot 's seat before. Brian says no, he hasn 't.

Read More
571 Words | 3 Pages

Despite the negative stereotype of American Indians, the objections and disapproval of fellow Natives, and the criticism of others, Sherman Alexie went on to become a successful writer that has inspired many. Alexie overcame many obstacles that would have deterred him from his goal, but he was able to remain steadfast and continue on in his pursuit of writing. As a result, he has published many literary works that include several short stories, poems, and a variety of novels. He allows his culture to seep into his writing, and continues to inspire young American Indians who also desire the path of knowledge.

Read More

More about The Role Of Betrayal In Sherman Alexie's Flight

Related Topics

Open Document