Thursday, November 7, 2013
A Drug Called "The Past and/or Future"
So "A Drug Called Tradition" is told in the first person with Victor as the narrator. The main 3 characters in the story are Victor, Junior, and Thomas, who are celebrating a rare payout of money to Thomas. While most of the reservation is partying at Thomas', the three characters take it to the road and decide to do this "good stuff" (13). However, the main point of this story comes near the end, where the narration switches to second person. This usually signals that the author is speaking to the reader. Basically, it's saying that as long as you live in the present, keep in step with your skeletons, you will survive. If you get too far ahead or too far behind, there will be problems. Sherman Alexie tells us that the Indians are "trapped in the now"(22). Again, this story shares a similar theme of hardship and drugs with Hurricane.
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That's an interesting connection. When I read this story, I thought of a road trip with good friends. Based on the underlying sadness in the novel, such as the beginning when the refrigerator is empty, I feel that this road trip gives Victor, Junior, and Thomas a bit of a break from the sadness they have at the rez. Like Collin said, they have the opportunity to live in the present and survive.
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