One of the most notable points to note in Alexie Sherman’s The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven is its portrayal of life among the Native Americans. The book, in the form of interconnected short stories details mostly the experiences of ‘Thomas builds the fire’ and Victor Joseph. The experiences of the two notable characters has been based on the people they relate with such as their family members and the people they interact with at the Spokane reservation. The book has presented Native Americans in different ways that at times come out negatively and in stereotypical fashion. The experiences of Native Americans in Sherman’s The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven can be seen mostly through what Victor goes through as he struggles …show more content…
It is still important to note that one of the factors that lead to alcoholism as a route of escape is economic and this is where poverty comes in. in Samuel’s case, the association between alcoholism and a job loss is evident as ‘he picked up his severance check and headed for the door’ (Alexie 185). For someone who has not been an alcoholic, Samuel’s case is one that takes a sharp twist towards the self-destructive act of taking alcohol as a solution to problems. Instead of taking his check and looking for a better alternative, Samuel resorts to alcohol which as it has been pointed out is a self-destructive path that a number of characters seem to prefer in Sherman’s The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven. Samuel’s acts later on depict his suicidal nature considering his lack of belief on the job loss he has just suffered. This is revealed when Alexie notes that ‘Samuel couldn’t believe he had lost his job…tipped on a rail, fell face down on the tracks’ (192). This is a point of desperation for Samuel that evidently shows the need for a desperate self-destructive move. It is clear that Samuel’s job loss drives him to take alcohol and subsequently putting himself in harm’s