In the novel, The Death of Jim Loney, author James Welch explores several complex themes, such as family dysfunction, alcoholism, Native American ancestry, and mental illness through the day-to-day life of the protagonist, 35 year-old Jim Loney. Welch interconnects these themes through the use of symbolism, and in doing so, presents the picture of a deeply lost and disturbed man who is desperately trying to find meaning in his life. Initially, Welch examines the damage that can be inflicted by growing up with a broken family, even after many years has passed. In Loney’s case, it has been 25 years since he was abandoned by both parents; first his mother when he was one years old, and then his father, nine years later. Early on, when Loney …show more content…
Throughout the novel, it is made apparent that Loney is an alcoholic – a “kitchen drunk” (111) who drinks every night, alone, without fail. His father is no different, except he frequents bars. Although Loney hardly knows anything about his father, it is clear that they share the same addiction. Towards the end of the novel, Loney asks his father if he they could have done something together, if he had not left, to which his father responds, “What would he have done but drink ourselves to death?” (149) The narrator does not focus much on Loney’s alcohol dependency as a huge issue, and Loney himself does not ever make a considerable effort to curb this habit. Loney’s alcoholism is simply treated as a part of his every day life. It is, however, a catalyst for his hallucinations. The first time Loney’s hallucinations are revealed, and every time after that, he is drunk. It is unclear if drinking is partly responsible for these visions, or if the visions are what have lead him to drinking. In fact, Loney’s black bird could, in part, be interpreted as symbolic of his alcoholism. Additionally, the protagonist’s addiction is an interesting theme for Welch to incorporate because Loney is half Native American and substance abuse is significantly more prevalent within Native American reservations than the rest of the general population. Welch manages to portray this theme in a way that does not come off as stereotypical, but authentic instead. It is made clear that Loney’s struggle with addiction is a small faucet of his overall downward