Flight By Sherman Alexie Essay

No matter what we do, there will always be consequences. In Sherman Alexie’s book, Flight, a fifteen year old half Native American boy named Zits struggles with many difficult topics, one of which is the theme of revenge. Zits travels through time and lives in different bodies to experience the world from different angles throughout the book. In one section of the book, Zits is in the body of a young Native American boy. He witnesses death and sees the horrific consequences of war. In one particular scene as the Native American boy Zits explores the theme, revenge as an endless cycle.

In chapter nine, Zits is in the body of a young Indian boy right before the Battle of Little Bighorn. Zits is in an Indian camp set up to defend against Custer’s army. As he walks out of his tent, he finds the settlement bustling about and sees the boy’s father. Zits tries to yell out only to find that he cannot talk due to a scar on his throat. Within a few hours, the has begun. Zits describes the

Zits does not blame this soldier for the act of another soldier who slashed the Indian boy’s throat. Zits does not know if the soldier was drafted or if he chose to fight in the war. Alexie shows this when he writes, “Does this little white soldier deserve to die because one of his fellow soldiers slashed my throat?” (77). Zits is able to ignore his anger and his past experiences and act based on what is going on right then and there. This is important because he is letting go of his anger instead of perpetuating this cycle of revenge.

Throughout Zits’ journey as the Indian boy, he matures and learns to control his emotions. Zits now understands that unless he forgives another, the cycle that is revenge will never cease. This is an important idea to understand and if one keeps this in mind, one’s life and the lives of others around them will improve