Social Identity In American Culture

Regardless of the many changes that occur in society or culture, every person living in this world has a social identity and cultural background. I share similar cultural circumstances with the character Victor, from ‘The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven,’ and we see our heritage as something that is getting faded away as society becomes assimilated into modern culture. The society of today and that of the past live extremely different lives. The American lifestyle is more of a materialistic culture, while the Native Americans see their own culture from a different point of view. The stories about Victor, in a cultural sense, may have been written from the perspective of a person who also experienced the events described. Victor was
able to feel the traumatic cultural changes that his people had endured. The short stories in the book tell of his adventures and his gradual understanding as they reveal and tackle the differences between American and Native American (Indian) culture. Between reality and illusion, Victor uses descriptive details to exemplify his thoughts and ideas regarding the perseverance of Indian culture, as well as the changes, and assimilation into American culture. He felt he could not accept the change to his cultural background, because he was trapped in his own culture thinking. However, I feel that as times change, culture should also change.
My cultural background has also changed a lot, and I believe we should keep our original culture background, but we also need to develop as well. Comparing myself to Victor, his cultural background influenced him not to develop himself for fear of losing his culture, and he tries to retain his original heritage forever. However, for me, if my culture remains focused on the past, our country cannot become globalized, and I could not move to the United States. Also, I believe people’s view of the world will change with the development of culture. I also share a similarity with Victor, because the society in which I grew up is one that adopts both the symbolic viewpoint of culture, and materialistic idea of consumerism.
I moved to the United States with my grandparents when I was teenager, and they brought our cultural traditions with them, but I have adopted modern society, and partly as a result I feel I am at a disadvantage.
Like Victor, my heritage remains with me, but although I did not fully understand my family’s traditions or heritage, I can still relate to Victor’s cultural rituals and traditions. My grandparents brought many traditions that are mostly passed on from to next generation but one in particular is to visit our ancestors’ graves annually, and perform specific rituals, yet I do not have any knowledge of them. Our cultures may not be the same but a common similarity I share with Victor is that we are both unable to pass down our native traditions, and so our cultural knowledge and behavior is slowly receding. Also, another common feature is that family is considered to be the most importance. Although our cultures may be changing due to assimilation, the heritage of keeping each other safe will always be with us, and that cannot be changed, even under the most extreme circumstances. In the United States, living as a person in a different cultural background from my own, culture plays a very prominent role in my life. Both Victor and I assimilate ‘American culture’ which is prominent and where it forms the basis of our continued survival. Not only that, but our cultures have been assimilated to the extent that it is almost impossible for us to revert to our native roots
and traditions. Nowadays, my cultural background places strong emphasis on living for the future, and not necessarily living based on the past.
In Alexie’s book, he writes about the dancing skeletons, where it reflects upon the things that a person should learn. In one chapter he writes, “Your past is a skeleton walking one step behind you, and your future is a skeleton walking one step in front of you.” (21) This may exemplify that we are living for the future, but we can compare this to what Alexie describes as ‘Indian Time’: “The past, the future, all of it is wrapped up in the now. That’s how it is. We are trapped in the now” (22). In contrast to the outside world and myself, Victor lived in the past, whereas modern society has progressed, and lives for the future. As much as I might wish to revert to my past heritage, and discover my social identity within it, it is impossible to go back in time, so I can only look forward to what the future holds for me. On the other hand, my cultural background differs from Victor’s, but still carries many of the same themes, and motives of our traditional cultural roots. Each person has their own different social identity, and we all practice different styles of culture, however, when we compare the differences separating the many distinct cultures in the world, there are many more similarities each race, culture, and ethnicity share with each other.
Another point of comparison between Victor’s, and my belief, even though our corresponding heritage is of the importance of family, his heritage is clouded by his ancestor’s assimilation into White culture.
This caused Victor to feel ashamed that when his tribe began to adopt White American culture, in the process, he lost some of his cultural identity. However, I would say that people’s views have changed, and I do not think that is losing our cultural identity. In this quote from “A Drug Called Tradition,” Victor speaks out when he says, “They’re all gone, my tribe is gone. Those blankets they gave us, infected with smallpox, have killed us. I’m the last, the very last, and I’m sick, too. So very sick. Hot. My fever burning so hot.” (17) When he takes the new drug, Victor speaks of this because of the history between the two nations and the need to assimilate or die, and what he sees is his reflection of his people’s past. In his vision, his past, present, and future is described as follows: “I [Victor] dance one step and my sister rises from the ashes. I dance another and a buffalo comes crashing down from the sky onto a log cabin in Nebraska. With every step an Indian rises. With every other step, a buffalo falls.” (17) Unlike my thoughts, Victor provides perspective into his cultural identity, and an insight into the life of his heritage, as he says these lines with a strong negative emotion. However his heritage has not completely gone. Through the many themes and
morals that the book holds, their traditions are carried on. In addition, he is influenced by the themes cultural background, and his insights, embarrassments, perspectives, and concerns are all part of the many ways in which the Indian people fight against American influence. He believes that everyone is created equal in accordance with his Indian tradition, and he shares this insight with the audience. However, the manifestation of cultural power is clearly revealed in Victor’s story, and he sees his heritage changing in the process of being forced into adopting the American culture.
In the context of American power in economic and social culture, I believe that, although many unfortunate things may have happened to many cultures, no matter what the circumstances might be, the natives will always be there for each other. Overall, cultural background cannot be easily changed, but if I had only stayed in my own country, I would not have seen the broader sights of the world. Some people, like Victor, do not want to accept another different culture, and are trapped in themselves, but I believe it is not good to remain in our own culture as Victor did, because it does not allow us to fully develop our beliefs and ideas.