"Jesus Christ's Half-Brother is Alive and Well on the Spokane Indian Reservation" is written in a first person narrative and is in chronological order. It seems to me like this is a diary that the narrator uses. Anyways, I found it interesting how the short story depicts the juxtaposition of the narrator and James. Despite the fact that James hasn't talked or cried, the narrator believes: "he's waiting for that one moment to cry like it was five hundred years of tears" (115). I think this quote refers to the eternal cycle we were talking about in class a few days ago. Also, the narrator later mentions that: "Nobody dreams all the time because it would hurt too much" (117). I believe these quotes prove the pain that the Indians on the reservation have been suffering through for years has been tremendous.
While the narrator may seem weak by himself (i.e. his drinking problem and his "exploded" leg), he seems to continue to move forward because of James. With high hopes to hear James speak, the narrator explains: "But maybe [James] said I love you because that's what I wanted him to say" (127). James finally answers all of the narrator's questions at Christmastime when he really talks to him: "[James] says the world hurts. He says the first thing he wanted after he was born was a shot of whiskey" (128). James admits at this point that life has been difficult ever since the beginning.
Nevertheless, the short story ends on a high note when they're at the fair in Spokane and James is regarded as "so smart for an Indian boy" (129). The narrator then ends by saying James will end up caring for him and loving him when he is old. This is certainly a promising way to end a sad story.
I completely agree with you "cycle" theory. I'll talk more about it in class tomorrow with Aashish too. Also, just some food for thought, he practices basketball as one would practice religion/tradition. Again, this concept of repetition keeps wedging it's way into his stories. Just another connection I'd throw in there.
ReplyDeleteAlso the idea that James was holding in "five hundred years of tears" is the idea that Indians can't speak out about their poverty of material and soul and thus their situation remains unknown to the majority of America bc they were pushed out to the barren lands of North and South Dakota. Blacks, Irish, Homosexuals have all 'survived' the oppression of white christian america bc they've been within the society for hundreds of years. In contrast, Native Americans were moved onto reservations, kicked out of their own homelands. So, by ostracizing them and creating a metaphysical barrier between our societies and theirs we've further oppressed them; even so to the point that this wall can never fully be removed, it'll always be present or remembered. Now, since we can't re-write history, the only solutions involve sending aid to the reservations, dissembling them and assimilating the native populations, or just letting things continue (which really isn't a solution), and it's unclear as to which or which combination is right. Alexie isn't proposing any solutions, he's merely taking the first step and enlightening us about the nature of the situation.
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