Sherman Alexie: What You Pawn I Will Redeem

¶ … setting of Sherman Alexie's "What you pawn I will redeem." The story is set amongst the community of homeless Native Americans in Seattle, Washington. The story juxtaposes images of the tribal past with images of Indians in modern times. I explore the question of how this contrast enables Jackson Jackson's redemption of grandmother's regalia to be symbolic of his people's redemption as well as his own redemption. My understanding of the story shifted as a result. Rather than focusing on how Jackson viewed his life alone, I also examined the life of the other Indians around him, many of whom like Jackson have struggled with addiction-related issues.

The hardest part of the essay was narrowing down a topic, given there is so much rich material that can be discussed in the story. Jackson has many relationships with both Indians and non-Indians. The strength of the essay is that it examines the two sides of Jackson's fallible but likeable character; the weakness is that it is difficult to do justice to a story that deals with the plight of American Indians today in so few pages. I would like feedback about how to accomplish this yet still create a tightly-constructed essay.

Yours truly,

Analyzing setting in "What you pawn I will redeem"

Sherman Alexie's short story "What you pawn I will redeem" is set in Seattle, Washington, a city (according to its narrator Jackson) populated by homeless Native Americas -- people like himself who cannot fit into white society but whose native culture is no more. "Homeless Indians are everywhere in Seattle. We're common and boring, and you walk right on by us, with maybe a look of anger or disgust or even sadness at the terrible fate of the noble savage" (Alexie 1). The setting is critical to the plot of the story since it revolves around Jackson trying to scrape together enough money to buy his grandmother's powwow-dance regalia from a pawn shop. The short story starkly juxtaposes the ancient with the modern as Jackson goes on his quest.

Jackson is extremely articulate and intelligent but also an alcoholic. His scheme to make money to redeem his grandmother's legacy involves lottery scratch-off tickets and using the little money he has to buy alcohol for more 'inspiration.' Everywhere, there are reminders that Indians are haunting the streets, often with terrible problems with alcohol and drugs. For example, Jackson casually references "Big Heart's…an all-Indian bar. Nobody knows how or why Indians migrate to one bar and turn it into an official Indian bar" (Alexie 1). The story juxtaposes images of traditional native culture with images of the seamier side of life in a city, such as bodega owners, scenes from a late night diner, and a helpful cop who tries to assist Jackson in getting cleaned up.

Jackson states that he is determined to win back the regalia himself but the money he earns seems to slip through his hands. Not only does he waste it buying alcohol but he also shares what he wins with others until he has nothing less, whether it is the pretty cashier at the store who sells him his scratch-off or the other Indians at the symbolically named 'Big Heart.' Jackson has a big heart even though he cannot control his self-destructive impulses. His life is lived with a communal ethos at odds with individualistic white society.