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2009
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December
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- A Horse and Two Goats #4
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December
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About Me
- Daniel Freeman
- trying to figure out most of what there is to know about most things.
Edgar was a middle-class American Indian man, and married with a white woman. When he tried to get to the lower class with his people--Indians, the big Indian guy Junior beat him, and the Indian lady Sissy blamed him.
ReplyDeleteThe point Alexie trying to make is people are separated into different social classes by their social situations. Usually, different class people don’t want to accept each other, even though they have some things in commons, such as same race, and same culture background. For example, Edgar, Junior and Sissy were Indians, but because Edgar was a lawyer, wearing polo, and belonged to middle class, Junior and Sissy, who had to worry about having enough to eat and belonged to lower class, didn’t consider they can be friends with Edgar. Finally, Edgar came back to his class with his wife, as he said, “I was gone, but now I am back”
Alexie is trying to make the point that social class outweighs ethnicity. People of the same social class can easily get along. In the upper-class it doesn't matter if you're Black, Indian, or whatever as long as you're wealthy and "sophisticated" you'll be accepted. If you’re of lower class, your hardships and struggles connect with others in the same situation. However, ethnicity doesn't always fit you into a group as shown in the bar. Even though Edgar was Indian, Junior didn't accept him because of his social class. Junior completely disregarded the camaraderie of a fellow Indian and saw only Edgar's clean-cut Gap ad pressed khaki pants looking exterior. Alexie tries to make her point directly in Junior’s actions.
ReplyDeleteAlexie is trying to make to the point of the difference between high and low social classes in this story. Higher social class ten d to be successful people, if you were born into it that would help your change for success. Those in lower social classes often have to fight for that but they would not be success. High social class not has to white people but it is hard for the different social class people to be together. In the story, Junior and Sissy would not want to be “friends” with Alexie because of his social class (he is a lawyer, lives in a good community and don’t have to worry about the financial problem like Sissy and Junior) .
ReplyDeleteThe main message of this story is to demonstrate how confusing and unclear is our surrounding world.
ReplyDeleteMainly, it is confusion about one's own identity. "Where do I belong"? This is very clear throughout the whole story.
The social class divides people even within one equal ethnic group, causing totally different life enjoyment.
Edgar, American Indian middle class, is not sure about his position in the life. Being tricked by his women, who is white, tries to escape to
"his" people hoping to find understanding. However, at this point he does not realize how dangerous is the difference in his class and the one of his people.
“I wanted to be with my people." The Indian barmaid answers: “Your people? We’re not your people.” She continues: “Yeah, we’re Indians. But we live in this world and you live in your world.”
Edgar, speaking for all Indians, is desperately trying to reunite with people who share the same history, color of skin and roots. He is deeply hurt though because of realization that life is treating
everyone differently and this is the source of relationships and feelings of belonging.
Because of Edgar's intricate background, it makes him to understand class exist in America and classify into different class base on you identity, such as ethnic and social. Since he is a lawyer which should belong to the high level in society and dealing with the white. But he is also a Indian that make him confuse his identity. So, he wants to point out there are some people like him, a middle class Indian is hard to find out his identity, marriage and life in American. Also, they may suffer from their class if it interacts with knowledge, race, and class in the society.
ReplyDelete