Analysis Of Lone Ranger And Tonto Fistfight In Heaven By Sherman Alexie

In the “Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven” Sherman Alexie explores an anxiety that is often shared by minority groups trying to navigate through society. In the personal narrative Alexie is able to convey the struggle to find one's sense of belonging in a place where your existence is a second thought at best. This story also touches on the fear of how trapping “home” can feel when someone striving for more. To best illustrate these concepts Alexie uses mostly metaphor, historical context, and humor..

The technique that Alexie utilizes the most is historical context. In most stories a lack of historical context will have the piece, at worse, disconnected but with “Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven” this technique makes the entire story. Without it the story would

In the passage Victor employs humor to almost lighten the material. Victor himself seems to use humor to cope. Again with the situation with the in the convenience store Victor muses to himself if he should scare the clerk for fun, “He looked at me, Couldn’t decide if I was giving him serious shit or just goofing. There was something about him I liked, even if it was three in the morning and he was white.” , he begins to but decides to win the clerk over with humor. He makes a connection with the clerk over The Brady Brunch and get a free Creamsicle out of it.

In Joseph L. Coulombe’s, The Approximate Size of His Favorite Humor: Sherman Alexie's Comic Connections and Disconnections in "The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven.", Coulombe notes Alexie’s use of humor in his stories. He states, ” He [Alexie] uses humor--or his characters use humor--to reveal injustice, protect self-esteem, heal wounds, and create bonds. The function of humor changes from scene to scene, shifting to serve these myriad goals.” (1) Coulombe, 2002. This humor is shown throughout the story with Victor’s thoughts of the reservation, the clerk and his own