What You Pawn, I Will Redeem - Essay Example

Supervisor: What You Pawn, I Will Redeem The story revolves among the life and struggles of a Spokane Indian boy who has to come to terms with his homelessness. Despite the fact, that his people had occupied a large piece of land in Spokane, Washington for approximately ten thousand years, he finds himself with no place to stay. He currently remains in Seattle where he came twenty-three years ago when he was joining college, but he dropped out due to alcoholism. Since then he has worked in several places, married a few women and fathered several children. He confesses to having caused a few heartbreaks and to leaving whatever relationship he formed. However, he is not violent and does not commit any crime. Although Jackson is homeless, he seems to be comfortable with his way of living. He claims to be an "effectively homeless person" (Alexie, p.168). The effectiveness is because he can make friends; he knows how to get along with people and can persuade store employees to let him use their employee’s bathroom (Alexie, p.168). I think the choice of the name Jackson is a nice touch that the reader creates. The persona of the story, in this case, Jackson addresses his readers as if he assumes they are white and have little or no concern for homeless Indians. He is also skeptical of the way Indians fake stories and creates myths. He is, however, proud to be an Indian and likes to associate with others of his kind. Jacksons interest in people from his origin is noted when he questions an old man of his exact origin, the way he goes to an Indian bar, and the kind of friends he keeps. His closest friends with whom he wanders aimlessly in the street when he discovers his grandmother’s regalia are Rose of Sharon and Junior. Rose is a "big woman" with a personality. Junior is a handsome man who makes Jackson very jealous due to his looks. “He gets me jealous, jealous, and jealous” (Alexie, p.170). What you pawn I will redeem story is a hero’s self-aware journey; one that focuses on the heros flaws instead of his strengths. When Jackson sees his grandmother’s regalia through the window of a pawn shop, he immediately recognizes it. He had not seen it in person, but at least he had seen many photos of it, he then goes into the shop just to make sure. Jackson can prove to the shop owner that the regalia did indeed belong to his grandmother through a hidden yellow bead. The store owner says he believes Jackson but he would have to buy it back at the price of nine hundred and ninety-nine dollars the following day. For this cause, the pawn shop owner contributes twenty dollars. Getting his grandmother’s outfit becomes Jackson’s quest. He feels the moral obligation of restoring his family’s artifact. It becomes necessary for Jackson to redeem his grandmother’s regalia from the pawn shop as it is the only item that can connect him to his native people. He, therefore, embarks on a hero’s journey to bringing back home what rightfully belonged to them. He is determined to restore the lost glory of his family. The dance outfit is an important part of life in Jackson’s tribe since it symbolizes the life of the dancer as well as their culture. Getting the regalia back is the only way for Jackson to vindicate himself and to reconnect to his roots. He goes through trials and tasks to win the money for the regalia (Alexie, pp.168-170). In his culture, ones wealth is not measured by the money that one has accumulated, but how by how generous you are by giving. Jackson tries to gain wealth and absolve himself for the regalia. In the story, Jackson is seen to fulfill the culture of sharing. He buys food to the three Aleuts, buys drinks for all the people in a bar and by sharing the cash he won out of the lottery with Mary. By doing this, he seeks to get some form of turn-around in his life. To get a more fulfilling life than the one he was currently living; one in which he will feel loved and belongingness. Jackson was a lonely guy and when he finally reclaimed his grandmother’s regalia he felt complete. “The bead on the regalia was a part of me” (Alexie, p.177). Redeeming his grandmother’s regalia will make him feel less lonely. He confesses his loneliness when he says that the three Aleuts miss the snow and cold (their home in Alaska) but he says he’s lonesome for everything. In the story Jackson is the only Indian who had staying power; all the others abandoned him, even his grandmother. Rose of Sharon moved in with her sister, Junior died, the people he met in the bar left him behind and the three Aleuts waded away in the salty water. Jackson’s loneliness is when he finally reclaims the regalia, and he wraps it around himself and breathes it in. Finally, Jackson felt that he had company. He believed his grandmother’s spirit was in the dance regalia. At last he found a lasting friend; all others could leave, but his grandmother would always be there to wrap around him. Jackson wants to reclaim the regalia so as to give his grandmother her last respects. He was told that her grandmother died of cancer which resulted from an accident in which a motorcycle ran over when she was coming from a pow-pow dance. Jackson’s father also claimed that the cancer was as a result of the uranium mine on the reservation where they stayed. Jackson, however, feels that the cancer could be as a result of his grandmother’s regalia being stolen. It becomes his obligation to give back to his grandmother the very thing that cost her life. Even though the regalia may not bring her back to life, her grandmother’s spirit will be finally free (Alexie, pp.172-174). The writer has used the story of what you pawn I will redeem to bring out the character of the native Indians as noble savages. He allows the character, Jackson, to develop a voice beyond his cultural cocoon. The life of Jackson in the story, the relationships he joins and the friends he meets echo unfulfilled treaties, broken promises and untold suffering that the Native Indians encountered in the previous years. These abusive past relationships have left most of the Indians landless and with a substandard lifestyle. The story is not only about the distrust that has resulted due to racism, but racism is for sure a crucial part of the world portrayed by Sherman. The fear of abuse by the white man is still very real among the characters in the story. Jackson says that the Indians are very secretive and that the best way of dealing with white folks is by keeping their issues a secret. “Silence is the best method of dealing with white folks” (Alexie, p.168). Also, the three Aleuts in the story are very secretive and even deny the very fact that they are of Indian origin. The story end is about dreams that the narrator has. He only seems to be haunted by bad dreams that combine the horrors of anti-American-Indian racism from the past and the most subtle form of that same racism in the late 20th century. These dreams are a reflection of the life lived by the modern American-Indian. The narrator shows his pessimism when he says he knows just how the dreams are likely to end. The narrator also confesses that he knows his fate after he wakes up. The perception of the narrator is that his future will be full of disappointments and nothing good (Alexie, p.198). Conclusion In the story, Alexie has perfectly weaved in the feelings of Native Americans while at the same time trying to make them appreciative of their heritage. The story also exposes the way in which the Natives deal with their disappointments in life. The struggles that the Natives face in dealing with their dismay leaves them in a more confused state about how the world works. These are people who have not yet recovered from an era that saw many of their kind go through untold misery due to heinous acts done to them. The story is a case of recovery in which the natives struggle to restore their lost glory although the end of the struggle is far from over. Works Cited Alexie, S. (2003). What You Pawn I Will Redeem. New Yorker-New Yorker Magazine Incorporated-, 168-177. Read More