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Alcoholism In Sherman Alexie's Blasphemy

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Many effects of these casualties can be found within Sherman Alexie’s collection of short stories, Blasphemy. Several of these tales show Native Indians experiencing a great deal of trials, tribulations, and unfortunate circumstances. Stories such as “War Dance,” “Basic Training,” and “This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona,” display a generational disconnection between Native Indian fathers and their sons. In no way am I saying there was no kind of father-son relationship in these stories because there is; however, there is tension from the younger generation of Native Indians and their parents. In “War Dance”, the last narrator states “I would always feel closest to the man who had most disappointed me” (Alexie 74). Though he misses his deceased father, it is apparent that he still has slight vexation towards him.
Essentially, such tension between Native Indian fathers and their children can be traced back during the colonization of the United States. According to Jeffrey Shears, Roe Bubar, and Ronald C. Hall, Native Indian families could sustain until European settlers invaded …show more content…

The usage of alcohol is extensive in these tales, being found several of Alexie’s short stories. One story that showcases alcoholism is “Because My Father Always Said…” in which Victor states he was created during a drunken encounter between his parents. “I was conceived during one of those drunken nights, half of me formed by my father’s whiskey sperm, the other half formed by my mother’s vodka egg” (Alexie 220). Alcoholism is also shown in “What You Palm I Will Redeem.” In this short story it states the main character Jackson Jackson is an “alcoholic Indian with a busted stomach,” and could not keep his food down (Alexie 447). Jackson Jackson also spent all of his money he was supposed to use to get his grandmother’s regalia on alcohol, sharing shots with everyone in the club (Alexie

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