Sherman
Alexie has a valuable asset that allows readers to enjoy his readings. He can
integrate humor into his work so genuinely that it seems effortless. For
example, in “This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona”, Victor and Thomas the
kill the “…only animal in Nevada” (This is What 395). This simple phrase is humorous in the sense that it is an
exaggerated statement. It is also humorous because poor Thomas finally gets the
opportunity to drive, yet it ends up a disaster. The ability to fine tune his
humor to match the humor of all individuals is a tool Alexie can easily access.
In his New York Times Bestseller “The
Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian”, Alexie gives a not so graphic
yet cheesy explanation of being born with hydrocephalus (The
Absolutely True 1-2). Hydrocephalus was a dangerous condition
that could have been fatal for Alexie. Through the voice of an fourteen year
old named Junior, Alexie uses his humor to explain the severity of his
condition and even goes as far as comparing it to “brain grease” (The
Absolutely True 1). With the
inclusion of humor in his work, Alexie gives readers a laugh while also
explaining serious matters.
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Making
himself accessible to the younger generation, Alexie has opened up the spectrum
of people who can relate to him. Going to a high school as a prepubescent teen is
a difficult time in everybody’s life. Arnold Spirit is no exception to this
rule. He experiences moments of bullying, sexual arousal and embarrassment. For
example, in the novel, Junior experiences excitement when he gets a hug from
Miss Warren (The Absolutely True). As a young
hormonal boy, junior experiences what most teenage boys do including “…hours in
the bathroom with a magazine that has one thousand pictures of naked movie
stars…” (The Absolutely True 25). In addition to
connecting to younger teens through the sexual frustrations of being a teenager,
he also connects to them by including the rivalries between families. Most boys
in families like to play fight or even get in physical altercations with one
another. In “This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona”, “Victor and Thomas
got into a fistfight. The beating might have gone on until Thomas was dead if
Norma Many Horses hadn’t come along and stopped it” (Alexie 392).The tension
between Victor and Thomas is so strong that Victor had to be ripped apart from
fight. With the description of Norma Many Horses part in the dismantling of the
fight, the reader can tell that the fight was fierce and serious.
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Furthermore,
Sherman Alexie uses modern language that brings the attention of younger
audiences to his work. In “The Absolutely
True Diary of a Part-Time Indian,” Alexie decided to include some vulgar
images and profanity. A vulgar image present in the novel is when Rowdy says
“then how come you like to stick your dick inside knotholes” (The
Absolutely True 225). As the story chronicles the journey of
Arnold, a fourteen year old Native American boy at an all-white high school it
makes sense that the young boy would hear or even say curse words. When Junior
and Rowdy are sending each other emails after the second basketball game, rowdy
says “ And you’ll cry like the little faggot you are” (The
Absolutely True 197). The profanity, inclusion of sexual
content, and name calling all entail the normal experiences of a high school
student. Alexie’s writing style has recently entered the headlines as his young
adult novel has come off the shelves. The school district of Meridian, Idaho
voted for the removal of the book off the tenth grade curriculum. This happened
after parents complained about the profanity and sexual content (Connelly). The
parents felt so strongly about their opinions that the novel was not appropriate
for the ears and that its material was too suggestive.
In
addition to having a humorous writing style, Alexie also writes in a rather sad
tone detailing the difficult aspects of the Native American life. In an
interview with Ase Nygren, she states “Alexie’s artistic vision thus mixes
humor and suffering in a manner that for me resembles what Roberto Benigni’s
does in his film Life is Beautiful” (Nygren). In choosing to write “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian”, Alexie uses
humor to get passed the suffering. It tells audiences that, yes, suffering is
inevitable but that it is up to that person to make the best out of the situation.
In the poem “Good Hair,” Alexie’s writing is so potent in telling how angry the
narrator is at the mocking of Native American hair. The structure of the poem
contains a question in each stanza that seems to invoke anger or frustration.
To fully understand Sherman Alexie’s work, one must understand his writing
style. He offers a variety of styles which include novels, poems, short stories,
even film that contains humor, trial and tribulations as well as anger,
frustration, and suffering.