The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven is a novel written by Sherman Alexie. The novel consists of short stories about Native Americans' lives. Sherman Alexie uses symbolism throughout the novel. In The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, women--including Victor's mother, the aunt in "The Fun House," and Norma Many Horses--are symbols of strength.
In the novel The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, Victor's mother is one of the women who symbolizes strength. In the chapter "Jimi Hendrix," when Victor's father wrecked his bike, he was in the hospital for two months, and Victor's mother visited him every day until he recovered although she and Victor's father were split up. The narrator, Victor, states that "even though my mother didn't want to be married to him anymore and …show more content…
The aunt said, "When a woman comes along who can carry the weight of this dress on her back, then we'll have found the one who will save us all" (76). The aunt claimed that the dress would be just like the sword in the stone: that one had to have a lot of strength to be able to wear the dress. The dress is a symbol of strength because it is so heavy and would take a strong woman to wear it. After the aunt had returned home from a day at the Tshimikain Creek, the aunt decided to try on the heavy dress. The narrator stated, "She stood, weakly. But she had the strength to take the first step, then another quick one. She heard drums, she heard singing, she danced" (82). Although the aunt stumbled when she first put the dress on, she was able to get back up and dance. This woman is a symbol of strength because even when she fell, she had the strength to get back up and to keep going. The aunt in the story "The Fun House" is a symbol of