Be wary of someone who tries to connect to a culture by portraying it–the consequences can be disastrous. In his tragic novel, Indian Killer, Sherman Alexie grapples with racial and cultural tensions against Indians while a serial murderer labeled "Indian killer" terrorizes Seattle targeting, specifically, white men. Protagonist John Smith, born Indian but raised white, narrates the story in his fractured mental state as he explores different parts of a culturally appropriated Indian world. John's encounters with individuals along his journey testify to the negative effects of cultural appropriation and racial divides. He first meets, Marie Plotkin, an Indian student at the University of Seattle, who feels attacked by her Literature professor…show more content… However, he also implies that often, appropriation arises from a desire to find meaning in, and understand the culture better. The characters who appropriate often do not realize the harm that results from their actions. What the novel suggests is true for most people is that dominant cultures appropriate, intentionally or not, for personal gain. From cultural appropriation Mather gains validation through "charity" as well as through hidden meaning and Wilson gains a distorted identity. In our mainstream society appropriation among dominant individuals has become a point of controversy. Major celebrities like the Kardashians have turned traits of cultural identity into trivial fashion trends. The Kardashian empire has attempted to turn culturally specific hairstyles like cornrows into a trend that can be worn by everyone when this, in fact, is not true. Because the Kardashians reach out to so many young, impressionable, minds they are able to dominate other cultures if they want to. The Kardashians have taken advantage of the hairstyle, the youngest Kardashian posting a picture of social media gaining over 1.4 million likes. What used to be a manifestation of one’s cultural identity has been dominated by mainstream society and turned into another product of the Kardashians. Alexie argues through Indian Killer that dominate cultures have the ability to diminish the
