Stereotypes and Contradictions
Stereotypes and Contradictions
It is a part of human nature to make judgments on others based solely on appearances. The short story “Flight Patterns” by Sherman Alexie reveals the sheer pervasiveness of stereotypes in American culture. The main character, William, is a walking contradiction in that he is a Native American businessman that loves his job and is always traveling, but hates to fly and hates to leave his family. He is also a victim of discriminations, yet he too makes his own judgments on people. In this paper I am going to explore the theme of stereotypes and contradictions in the story, and argue that stereotypes are so ingrained into American society that those who are stereotyped do not even realize they are stereotyping others.
One source I found called “Open Containers” by Stephen F. Evans discusses the reoccurring themes in Sherman Alexie’s work, and one of them is the theme I am discussing in this paper, which are stereotypes. He also discusses the different opinions on Sherman Alexie’s themes. He says,
“One of Bird's most serious charges against Alexie is that in Reservation Blues he ‘'prey[s]' upon’ his community and culture in perpetuating damaging stereotypes, including that of the drunken Indian. As she puts it, ‘Stereotyping native people does not supply a native readership with soluble ways of undermining stereotypes, but becomes a part of the problem, and returns an image of a generic 'Indian' back to the original producers of that image’ (49)” (Evans).
This quote is talking about another one of Sherman Alexie’s stories where he also talks about Native American stereotypes, and how someone else feels about this, which is not a positive feedback. Another insightful source I found is called “Identity, Not Race the Subject of 9/11 Tragedy” by Jan Collier. This source also discusses stereotypes, especially after September 11th. In the story, William, the main character, is discriminated at airports after the disaster of September
It is a part of human nature to make judgments on others based solely on appearances. The short story “Flight Patterns” by Sherman Alexie reveals the sheer pervasiveness of stereotypes in American culture. The main character, William, is a walking contradiction in that he is a Native American businessman that loves his job and is always traveling, but hates to fly and hates to leave his family. He is also a victim of discriminations, yet he too makes his own judgments on people. In this paper I am going to explore the theme of stereotypes and contradictions in the story, and argue that stereotypes are so ingrained into American society that those who are stereotyped do not even realize they are stereotyping others.
One source I found called “Open Containers” by Stephen F. Evans discusses the reoccurring themes in Sherman Alexie’s work, and one of them is the theme I am discussing in this paper, which are stereotypes. He also discusses the different opinions on Sherman Alexie’s themes. He says,
“One of Bird's most serious charges against Alexie is that in Reservation Blues he ‘'prey[s]' upon’ his community and culture in perpetuating damaging stereotypes, including that of the drunken Indian. As she puts it, ‘Stereotyping native people does not supply a native readership with soluble ways of undermining stereotypes, but becomes a part of the problem, and returns an image of a generic 'Indian' back to the original producers of that image’ (49)” (Evans).
This quote is talking about another one of Sherman Alexie’s stories where he also talks about Native American stereotypes, and how someone else feels about this, which is not a positive feedback. Another insightful source I found is called “Identity, Not Race the Subject of 9/11 Tragedy” by Jan Collier. This source also discusses stereotypes, especially after September 11th. In the story, William, the main character, is discriminated at airports after the disaster of September