American Indian literature grew out of an oral tradition passed on from one generation to the next. By the late eighteenth century these oral accounts of Indians’ stories were being recorded or translated by interested white people. At this time Indians were also beginning to write down their own stories in the English language. By the twentieth century creativity in the English language became a well-established form of their literary communication. During the same time the works of American Indian authors got a more individualistic tone. One of those individualist is the Native American Sherman Alexie.
Sherman Alexie was born on October 7, 1966. Alexie grew up in the Spokane Indian Reservation in Wahshington.
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Nowadays Alexie lives in Seattle, Washington together with his Native American wife and his two sons. He is a famous Native American poet, autohor, screenwriter and filmmaker.He sold milliions of copies of his books and won several awards for his noves like the “Boston-Globe-Horn Book Award” for the best fiction novel of 2008 in young adult literature or the “National Book Award for Young Peoples’ Literature” in 2007 both for his novel “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian”. His literature is very important for Native American literature courses in the United States and in the world. Alexie is also read in colleges and universities all across the USA.
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As a Native American himself, his novels, films, and collections of short stories deal with a variety of topics he experienced in the reservation like alcoholism, poverty, stereotypes, friends, death or family problems. Having grown up in the 60’s und 70’s in the reservation Alexie has made lots of experiences on many, if not all topics he writes about.
For this paper I mainly had a look at three of Alexie’s works, namely the novels “Reservation Blues” and “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” as well as his collection of short stories “The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven”. Reading these novels and stories I realized that they have much in common. In all those works the same problems can be found as well as the characters reappear. (...)
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Introduction
- Key Aspects in Alexie's Novels and Short Stories
- Alcoholism and Drug-Abuse
- Stereotypes
- Conclusion
- Bibliography
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This paper explores key aspects in the works of Sherman Alexie, focusing on the influences of his personal life and his experiences as a Native American. It aims to examine how these influences shape the themes and narratives present in his writings.
- The struggles and challenges faced by Native Americans in contemporary society
- The impact of alcoholism and drug abuse within Native American communities
- The role of stereotypes in shaping perceptions of Native Americans
- The search for identity and belonging in a world that often marginalizes Native Americans
- The power of education and literature to challenge harmful stereotypes and promote understanding
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
The introduction provides an overview of the development of Native American literature, highlighting its origins in oral tradition and its evolution into a distinct literary form. The chapter further delves into the life of Sherman Alexie, tracing his upbringing on the Spokane Indian Reservation and the challenges he faced due to his hydrocephalus and the alcoholism of his father. The text also explores his experiences in reservation schools, where he was subjected to bullying and prejudice.
The chapter titled "Key Aspects in Alexie's Novels and Short Stories" explores two prominent themes in Alexie's work. The first section examines the pervasive issue of alcoholism and drug abuse within Native American communities, highlighting its devastating consequences and its portrayal in Alexie's writing. The second section focuses on the impact of stereotypes on Native American identity, analyzing how Alexie challenges these stereotypes in his works.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
The primary keywords and focus topics of the text include: Sherman Alexie, Native American literature, alcoholism, drug abuse, stereotypes, identity, belonging, education, and prejudice.
- Quote paper
- Melissa Naase (Author), 2012, Key Aspects in Sherman Alexie's Works with Special Reference to his Life, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/205608
