What You Pawn I Will Redeem By Sherman Alexie

One would generally argue that Jackson’s behavior in Sherman Alexie’s What You Pawn I Will Redeem was a foolish act: however, his tradition tells otherwise. Instead of receiving currency from employment to purchase his grandmother’s regalia, Jackson is redundant, homeless and is an alcoholic who walk the streets of Seattle, Washington. His alienated mentally as a Native American has come in conflict with society; therefore, Jackson struggle to survive as a native American is primarily the fault of the society and not the individual. By evaluating Jackson behavior pattern, his relationship with his friends and some of the people he come across, Jackson is a generous person. In spite of the resentment and sense of loss that his character suffers, Alexis tend to use respect, hilarity, kindness and empathy in bestowing his conspiracy and characters. His literary works does not only focus on the traditional Indians forms, but rather merge the significant of element culture, Indian sanctity, and poverty. In What You Pawn I Will

Jackson senses that it is his obligation retrieve his grandmother’s or family heirloom. Even though what the pawnbroker offered in exchange of the regalia, Jackson know that this seem impossible to achieve. Jackson characterize all the Indians or Native Americans who lost their culture and felt manipulated of being alienated in their own motherland.
In “What You Pawn I Will Redeem”, it shows that Jackson character as a miserable, homeless, and alcoholic man, he emphasis on the goal of getting his grandmother’s regalia back. Jackson will not let the old generation take control of what the new generation have yet to discover. He is determined to get back the lost heritage. However, Jackson stipulation is not his own fault but rather what the society has imposed up on