Imagining the Reservation a.k.a What If...

This story is told in first person by a nameless narrator. It explains the concept of imagination. It explores all the possibilities of what Indian life would be like if things were a little different. He/She even creates a math equation that says that "Survival = Anger x Imagination" (150). This actually caused me to think of change in a different way. I now see how any activism for or against a topic stems from anger. I never thought of it that way. They are so mad at something that they want change. They also have the imagination to create the idea that will change their situation too. But without one or the other, the chance of survival is zero. Relating this to other short stories, there is a common theme of cycles. Once they get into this cycle, there is no more imagination, and therefore no more survival. That is why the Indians stay in this horrible social state. They have lulled themselves (with the aid of the racial taunts from white people) into this state of hopelessness. Nothing is going to change, therefore imagination is gone, and there is no chance for survival.