Ask another person in class to work with you, trace the development /resolution of conflicts between/among the characters. Examine/ discuss the following:
For the following, write one or two sentences that show your understanding of the following:
1. What are your preconceptions about Native American writing and Native American culture? In what ways did Sherman Alexie’s book confirm, refute, or complicate those preconceptions?
2. The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven is an unusual and attention-grabbing title. (Alexie says that it came to him in a dream). What does it suggest about the tone of the stories? What themes or recurring concerns does it introduce? Why would Alexie suggest that these icons of pop-culture, partners on a TV show, are fighting in the afterlife?
3. In the book’s opening story, as Victor’s uncles, Adolph and Arnold, fight in the yard, and someone shouts that they might kill each other. But the narrator writes, “Nobody disagreed and nobody moved to change the situation. Witnesses. They were all witnesses and nothing more. For hundreds of years, Indians were witnesses to crimes of an epic scale” [3]. What are the crimes Native Americans have witnessed? What effects do these crimes have on the circumstances and behavior of the characters in Alexie’s stories?
4. In the story, “A Drug Called Tradition,” how does tradition function like a drug for Native Americans? What does it offer them? What does it let them dream of?
5. The narrator of “The Only Traffic Signal on the Reservation Doesn’t Flash Red Anymore” observes, “It’s hard to be optimistic on the reservation. When a glass sits on a table here, people don’t wonder if it’s half filled or half empty. They just hope it’s good beer” [49]. Why is this mixture of humor and despair so effective in expressing the mood of life on the reservation? Where else do such moments occur in the collection?
6. In “This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona,” Thomas Builds-the-Fire has a dream in which he is told to go to Spokane and wait for a vision. What does his vision turn out to be?
7. Analyze the function of three characters in a story of your choice.
 | Can you describe the dynamics of one of the families? Tell us who had the power and who had affection for whom? |
| What problems did this family suffer from? |
What were the dysfunctional parts of the family?9 Alcohol and Drug Abuse
| What role did alcohol and drug abuse play in the problems faced by one family in this novel? |
10 Female Role Model
Who do you think was a female role model in this
book? Were there more than
one?11. Male Role Model
| Who do you think was a male role model in this book? Were there more than one? |
