Note: The format of this post is really weird...I've been trying to fix it, so I apologize if you cannot read everything.
SUMMARY:
In his article The Approximate Size of His Favorite Humor, Coulombe argues against critics who claim that Sherman Alexie's use of humor within The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven confirms the white American's perception of the stereotypical drunken Indian. Instead, he explains that Alexie constructs a paradox, where humor simultaneously creates relationships and destroys them, provides connection and isolates, offers the potential for understanding and leaves the reader in dark. These constantly shifting meanings of how humor is employed within the stories and the purpose it serves allow readers to make their own distinctions between the Indian culture and mainstream America. Alexie is able to successfully achieve this by loading each story with sarcasm, satire and subtext. In doing so, he creates a bond between Indians and whites, where both groups are able to transcend their differences and unite. More importantly, Alexie's "Trickster" approach to storytelling, where his characters are considered both insiders and outsiders of society, encourage Indians to question why this is so. Together, they must examine their traditions, culture and heritage, forcing them to re-evaluate their way of thinking and perception of reality, but in doing so, providing them with a sense of community and identity.
Further into his article, Coulombe introduces two concepts that Alexie uses to challenge his readers, the frontier and a zone of contact. The frontier describes a literary technique used mostly by Indian writers that involves the author creating a wide range of different perspectives that ultimately help to withstand any limiting kinds of prejudices or stereotypes. The zone of contact, a theory developed by Mikhail Bakhtin, says that laughter is powerful enough to destroy any fear or pity, where the characters or the reader experience a catharsis that allows them to freely explore whatever subject is being discussed. Both of these concepts force readers to have an opinion. Alexie, therefore, encourages readers to challenge stereotypes, to seek a deeper understanding and ultimately, recognize that laughter helps us to rise above our prejudices and find common ground between all races.
Coulombe, Joseph. "The Approximate Size of His Favorite Humor: Sherman Alexie's Comic Connections and Disconnections in The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven." American Indian Quarterly. 26 (Winter, 2002). p94-115. Project Muse. Ohio University Library. Athens, Ohio.
APPLICATION:
While reading The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven it becomes clear why many critics say that Alexie's stories, "betray Indian people by presenting them as cliches who deserve to be laughed at" (Coulombe 1). Indians are depicted as alcoholic bums, who, at times, can be incredibly childish and mentally and physically abusive to themselves and others around them. Critics cannot argue that there are not interesting characters within the stories, however, owing to the fact that there is a limited amount of Native American literature published, Alexie provides readers with an unrealistic perception of Spokane culture. He contributes to the stereotype of Indians, instead of attempting to change people's opinions and prove that they do have redeeming qualities. However, after careful examination of the text, the reader begins to understand that these stereotypes, while very truthful, have been constructed without the understanding of the history of the Indians. Alexie's main focus is not to rid people of whatever prejudice they may have against Indians, but rather explain why Indians result to drinking away their troubles or why relationships are so difficult to maintain on the reservation. Critics immediately assume that Alexie is confirming the stereotype, but really he is just trying to get people to understand the backstory and the reasoning behind the madness. Alexie goes about this in a roundabout way, never flat out telling the reader any of these things, but providing them with enough examples that they can come to the conclusion themselves. Alexie accomplishes this by including humor and sarcasm throughout his stories in The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven to "reveal injustice, protect self-esteem, heal wounds and create bonds" (Coulombe 1). His use of humor is never constant, a characteristic of Indian humor, which allows his characters "to display strength and weaknesses, to expose prejudices and avoid realities, and to create bonds and construct barricades" (Coulombe 2). This complexity causes upheaval, confusion and sometimes even frustration between readers and different cultures, but this is exactly Alexie's purpose in writing. He wants people to argue, to think, to question and to investigate because in doing so, everyone is united and connected.
Coulombe explains that Alexie's use of humor "serves as means of connection as well as an instrument of separation" mainly between the Indian culture and mainstream America (Coulombe 2). This paradoxical quality of Alexie's writing is apparent in the title story, The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven. In this story Victor is dating a white woman whom he frequently fights with. They have an unstable relationship, despite the fact that they love each other passionately. One night, no doubt after a fight the two of them had, Victor is driving around the town trying to calm his nerves, he stops at a 7-11 to get something to eat. The cashier is white and immediately assumes that Victor is a burglar because "this dark skin and long, black hair of mine was dangerous" implying that because he is Indian, or non-Caucasian, he is marked as having the "potential" for robbery (Alexie 183) Victor toys with the cashier, trying to scare him into thinking that he is going to rob the store. It is a hilarious encounter between the two, as Victor is clearly does not want to harm the cashier in anyway. The cashier is nervous, jumpy, and Victor even says that the the man cannot "decide if I was giving him serious shit or just goofing" (Alexie 184). Despite the fact that the clerk obviously is stereotyping Victor, Victor says "there was something about him I liked, even if it was three in the morning and he was white" (Alexie 184). Finally, the cashier figures out that Victor is joking around, admitting that he was scared but "he was a graveyard-shift manager and those little demonstrations of power tickled him" (Alexie 184). The manager gives him a Creamsicle for free and Victor leaves the store humored.
In his article, Coulombe explains that Alexie's humor "embodies the potential for facilitating mutual understanding and respect for diverse peoples" (Coulombe 2). At first, the Victor and the cashier do not have a mutual understanding, but a distain for each other. Each has their own prejudices against the other, not based on anything except from past experiences and upbringing. But, by the end of their encounter, they seem to generally enjoy each others company. Victor is happy to talk to a white person, besides his girlfriend, who does not argue with him and the cashier thinks that Victor is a funny guy. This "relationship" would not be possible, or even probable without the humor of the situation. Victor's relationship with his girlfriend however, has no humor or laughter in it, only anger. It is quite possible that Alexie is trying to prove his point in the fact that humor can cause connection or separation in any given situation. With the cashier, humor creates a connection, while with his girlfriend, there is no humor, so there is separation. Humor can create bonds, but lack of humor could break a relationship apart. If Victor and his girlfriend could have only found humor in their relationship, they had the potential of defying the norm of a white-white, Indian-Indian relationship and having a loving successful partnership.
Coulombe, Joseph. "The Approximate Size of His Favorite Humor: Sherman Alexie's Comic Connections and Disconnections in The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven." American Indian Quarterly. 26 (Winter, 2002). p94-115. Project Muse. Ohio University Library. Athens, Ohio.
Sherman, Alexie. The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven. New York: Grove Press, 2005.
SUMMARY:
In his article The Approximate Size of His Favorite Humor, Coulombe argues against critics who claim that Sherman Alexie's use of humor within The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven confirms the white American's perception of the stereotypical drunken Indian. Instead, he explains that Alexie constructs a paradox, where humor simultaneously creates relationships and destroys them, provides connection and isolates, offers the potential for understanding and leaves the reader in dark. These constantly shifting meanings of how humor is employed within the stories and the purpose it serves allow readers to make their own distinctions between the Indian culture and mainstream America. Alexie is able to successfully achieve this by loading each story with sarcasm, satire and subtext. In doing so, he creates a bond between Indians and whites, where both groups are able to transcend their differences and unite. More importantly, Alexie's "Trickster" approach to storytelling, where his characters are considered both insiders and outsiders of society, encourage Indians to question why this is so. Together, they must examine their traditions, culture and heritage, forcing them to re-evaluate their way of thinking and perception of reality, but in doing so, providing them with a sense of community and identity.
Further into his article, Coulombe introduces two concepts that Alexie uses to challenge his readers, the frontier and a zone of contact. The frontier describes a literary technique used mostly by Indian writers that involves the author creating a wide range of different perspectives that ultimately help to withstand any limiting kinds of prejudices or stereotypes. The zone of contact, a theory developed by Mikhail Bakhtin, says that laughter is powerful enough to destroy any fear or pity, where the characters or the reader experience a catharsis that allows them to freely explore whatever subject is being discussed. Both of these concepts force readers to have an opinion. Alexie, therefore, encourages readers to challenge stereotypes, to seek a deeper understanding and ultimately, recognize that laughter helps us to rise above our prejudices and find common ground between all races.
Coulombe, Joseph. "The Approximate Size of His Favorite Humor: Sherman Alexie's Comic Connections and Disconnections in The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven." American Indian Quarterly. 26 (Winter, 2002). p94-115. Project Muse. Ohio University Library. Athens, Ohio.
APPLICATION:
While reading The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven it becomes clear why many critics say that Alexie's stories, "betray Indian people by presenting them as cliches who deserve to be laughed at" (Coulombe 1). Indians are depicted as alcoholic bums, who, at times, can be incredibly childish and mentally and physically abusive to themselves and others around them. Critics cannot argue that there are not interesting characters within the stories, however, owing to the fact that there is a limited amount of Native American literature published, Alexie provides readers with an unrealistic perception of Spokane culture. He contributes to the stereotype of Indians, instead of attempting to change people's opinions and prove that they do have redeeming qualities. However, after careful examination of the text, the reader begins to understand that these stereotypes, while very truthful, have been constructed without the understanding of the history of the Indians. Alexie's main focus is not to rid people of whatever prejudice they may have against Indians, but rather explain why Indians result to drinking away their troubles or why relationships are so difficult to maintain on the reservation. Critics immediately assume that Alexie is confirming the stereotype, but really he is just trying to get people to understand the backstory and the reasoning behind the madness. Alexie goes about this in a roundabout way, never flat out telling the reader any of these things, but providing them with enough examples that they can come to the conclusion themselves. Alexie accomplishes this by including humor and sarcasm throughout his stories in The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven to "reveal injustice, protect self-esteem, heal wounds and create bonds" (Coulombe 1). His use of humor is never constant, a characteristic of Indian humor, which allows his characters "to display strength and weaknesses, to expose prejudices and avoid realities, and to create bonds and construct barricades" (Coulombe 2). This complexity causes upheaval, confusion and sometimes even frustration between readers and different cultures, but this is exactly Alexie's purpose in writing. He wants people to argue, to think, to question and to investigate because in doing so, everyone is united and connected.
Coulombe explains that Alexie's use of humor "serves as means of connection as well as an instrument of separation" mainly between the Indian culture and mainstream America (Coulombe 2). This paradoxical quality of Alexie's writing is apparent in the title story, The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven. In this story Victor is dating a white woman whom he frequently fights with. They have an unstable relationship, despite the fact that they love each other passionately. One night, no doubt after a fight the two of them had, Victor is driving around the town trying to calm his nerves, he stops at a 7-11 to get something to eat. The cashier is white and immediately assumes that Victor is a burglar because "this dark skin and long, black hair of mine was dangerous" implying that because he is Indian, or non-Caucasian, he is marked as having the "potential" for robbery (Alexie 183) Victor toys with the cashier, trying to scare him into thinking that he is going to rob the store. It is a hilarious encounter between the two, as Victor is clearly does not want to harm the cashier in anyway. The cashier is nervous, jumpy, and Victor even says that the the man cannot "decide if I was giving him serious shit or just goofing" (Alexie 184). Despite the fact that the clerk obviously is stereotyping Victor, Victor says "there was something about him I liked, even if it was three in the morning and he was white" (Alexie 184). Finally, the cashier figures out that Victor is joking around, admitting that he was scared but "he was a graveyard-shift manager and those little demonstrations of power tickled him" (Alexie 184). The manager gives him a Creamsicle for free and Victor leaves the store humored.
In his article, Coulombe explains that Alexie's humor "embodies the potential for facilitating mutual understanding and respect for diverse peoples" (Coulombe 2). At first, the Victor and the cashier do not have a mutual understanding, but a distain for each other. Each has their own prejudices against the other, not based on anything except from past experiences and upbringing. But, by the end of their encounter, they seem to generally enjoy each others company. Victor is happy to talk to a white person, besides his girlfriend, who does not argue with him and the cashier thinks that Victor is a funny guy. This "relationship" would not be possible, or even probable without the humor of the situation. Victor's relationship with his girlfriend however, has no humor or laughter in it, only anger. It is quite possible that Alexie is trying to prove his point in the fact that humor can cause connection or separation in any given situation. With the cashier, humor creates a connection, while with his girlfriend, there is no humor, so there is separation. Humor can create bonds, but lack of humor could break a relationship apart. If Victor and his girlfriend could have only found humor in their relationship, they had the potential of defying the norm of a white-white, Indian-Indian relationship and having a loving successful partnership.
Coulombe, Joseph. "The Approximate Size of His Favorite Humor: Sherman Alexie's Comic Connections and Disconnections in The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven." American Indian Quarterly. 26 (Winter, 2002). p94-115. Project Muse. Ohio University Library. Athens, Ohio.
Sherman, Alexie. The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven. New York: Grove Press, 2005.
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