“People say I am like an apple, red on the outside and white on the inside.”
Who is Sherman Alexie? His struggle to learn and be free was a path that any person of his interests and intelligence would have a difficult time with. The book nerd is always bullied by the jock. It is like a karmic balancing act needs to take place in the nerd's life so that they can be miserable as children but happy as adults. Sherman Alexie, however, had the added challenge of being a Native American Indian.
The mythical image that young Alexie put on white kids was similar, in a way, to the mythical image white kids make of the Indians. We tend to think of them as naturalists with magical powers and totem spirit guilds. They tend to think of us as magnificent conquerers who, though the power of manifest destiny, expand our power to the limits of the Earth and beyond. Neither of the outlooks are entirely true, but we allow these prejudices to color our judgment.
Who is Sherman Alexie? He's a person. He has strengths and weaknesses, just like the rest of us. He has a sense of humor that has served him well. He followed multiple women to success, moving to different schools to be near them. His life has been cursed with terrible hardships and blessed with wondrous success. He is a great writer who we respect and a teller of jokes that make us laugh.
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I like the way you describe Alexie while attempting to remind us that we are all human and we all have the same struggles. I do think it's important, however, to really signify the fact that he is a Native American man who is bringing his achievement and pride back to his culture. I think he is happy to be able to show the world that AI people can entertain and be funny. That they are not all the proud man with the tear in his eye. This is an important step in the right direction, to overcome stereotypical thinking and create new images.
ReplyDeleteYes, it is important to remember that a young man from a very different back ground managed to struggle his way to where he is today. I always like to point out that these human struggles connect us. Today we see that we can cross boundaries that were not possible a few generations ago. Though we have a long way to go, we have come far already! :)
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