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Childhood Experiences In Sherman Alexie's Indian Education

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The narrator Sherman Alexie in “Indian Education” had a different experience compared to the other narrators. A lot of which well he was growing up he was kind of like the outcast of the group at his reservation. The narrator experienced multiple things ranging from being bullied by his fellow peers, being told by his teacher as quoted in the short story “Indians, indians, indians” (231) Society for the narrator of the short story was mediocre most of the comments made to the narrator where more stereotypically, for example in the seventh and tenth grade people said comments like “Just Indians being Indians” (232) and “What’s that boy been drinking? I know all about these Indian kids. They all start drinking real young.” (233) Comments from …show more content…

The narrator is joined with her friend who also has a Barbie doll that is slightly different. During the short story the narrator explains how she and her friend make the best of what they have and what they don’t for example when she explains how they invented a dress from a sock by just cutting holes in it. (339) The narrator farther on in the story visits Maxwell Street where they end up getting a good deal on more Barbie dolls due to the fact that they came from a burned down factory and smelled of smoke. (340) What really caught my attention was not that fact that they could get such a great deal on multiple dolls, but rather the attitude of the narrator after receiving the dolls. “If the prettiest doll, Barbie’s MOD’ern cousin Francie with real eyelashes, eyelash brush included, has a left foot that’s melted a little so? If you dress her in her new “Prom Pinks“ outfit, satin splendor with matching coat, gold belt, clutch, and hair bow included, so long as you don’t lift the dress, right? – who’s to know.” This really shows the reader the impact that society had on the narrator on what matter most to them and view on

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