Sherman Alexie's Short Story 'A Drug Called Tradition'

[Title] The three stories “A Drug Called Tradition,” “What it Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona, and “The Trial of Thomas Builds-the-Fire” in a book of short story collection called: “The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven,” published in 1993 and reissued in 2005, by Sherman Alexie, a Spokane/ Coeur D’Alene Indian. Those three short stories introduce us readers to Thomas Builds-The-Fire, a character who tells too much stories. By having a closer look at Thomas Builds-The-Fire’s stories, it is obvious that the people of Spokane and the BIA don’t want to hear his stories simply because they hold truths no one wants to hear, hence explaining why Thomas Builds-The-Fire is made an outcast.
The story about three proud Indian boys: It is night …show more content…
Thomas-Builds-The-Fire was arrested. But, apparently there were no charges against him. He was just locked up because he has “A story telling fetish accompanied by an extreme need to tell the truth. Dangerous”. A trial is held, and Thomas-Builds-The-Fire is his own witness. He then tells his first story in the court. The scene takes place on September 8, 1858. Thomas-Builds-The-Fire is a “strong and quick” pony, as well as his other 799 brothers were captured to be killed. Somehow, Thomas-Builds-The-Fire “was lucky enough to be spared while hundreds of [his] brothers and sisters fell together”, “They were dragged out to be shot in the head. This lasted for hours”, “The next day, the survivors were rounded into a single mass and slaughtered”(97) brutally. All these horrendous, bloody scenes that Thomas-Builds-The-Fire gives us are with purpose, that is to show how cold-blooded and cruel the soldiers can be, and to show that they must be feared. But Thomas-Builds-The-Fire the pony “was not going to submit without a struggle. At first [he] was passive, let one man saddle [him] and ride for awhile”. But then Thomas-Builds-The-Fire the pony starts to fight the soldiers back “until [he] was lathered with sweat and blood. The pony was respected by his anger, his “refusal to admit defeat” (98). Ultimately, Thomas-Builds-The-Fire the pony escapes, which shows Thomas-Builds-The-Fire will free himself from chains even under the reign of the most brutal of people. He will not give up/in easily. This is why he is an outcast, a threat to the authorities, a dangerous, rebellious

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Sherman Alexie's Short Story 'A Drug Called Tradition'

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