Khatoon, Humaira

Khatoon, HumairaFinal DraftProfessor EmeryNovember 28, 2012.

Humaira.

War Dances ------- A mixed Tape Sherman Alexie

War Dances by Sherman Alexie entail us to the center of what it indicates to be human. His collection of stories emphasizes on ethnicity and a consummate insight into the minds of artists, fathers, husbands and sons. At first glance, it may seem like Alexies stories comprise of common men on the brink of exceptional change. However, according to Westron, this initial perception overlooks Alexies feelings of warmth and intimacy towards feminism. Alexie is a feminist and imbues his female characters with emotional strength, wit, and intelligence, regardless of their race (Westron 83). I agree with Westrons statement to a point that his certain collection of poems and short stories throws light on feminism. Moreover, Alexies stories incline the readers to experience the insight of the depicted emotional connection between a father and son. Alexies greatest talent is his capability to find a perfect balance in complete reverse tale themes, without compromising the integrity of his work. While some cultural critics fret about feminism,his surroundings induce him to the technicalities underlining the emotional wit with women, such as in Breaking and Entering, where an Indian film editor who trims a sex scene to protect a womans reputation they even emphasis his emotional complexity where he says this young woman had been exploited with her permission, of course but I was still going to do my best to protect her (Alexie). We can catch the insight of Alexies themes which make the readers feel closer to his nature, how he feels it immoral and unethical to exploit a woman and to know his sympathy towards women.Furthermore, the poems by Alexie outwit the intensity of his themes. Particularly, in his lovely poem, Home of the Braves where we can explore Alexies emotional connection, Why my gorgeous friends cannot find, someone who knows them as I do. Is the whole world deaf and blind? I tell my friends, Id marry you (Alexie 113). Feeling his female friends and questioning the world where things dont always go our way, where the expectations hover near, Alexie bestows his heart-breaking and redeeming nature of love, which reflects on him being a feminist emphasizing complex nature of love and loyalty for women. Alexies stories are considered as a mixed tape, they explore the subject of universal interest. As in The Senators Son, where he centers the plot on matters of sexual identity in regards to Williams friend, Jeremy who is a gay and contemporary national political intrigue, which gives us a glance of some stereotypes such as Williamss father who hates gay people while still addressing the complexities of religion and family, especially the father-and- son relationship and friendship, how a son truly admires his father My father had always believed in truth, and in the real and vast differences between good and evil. But hed also taught me, as he had learned, that each man is as fragile and finite as any other (Alexie 91). His stories give us a clear picture of a sons faith and belief in his father even if his father was the cause of his friendship to break, but he forgave him silently.In Alexies further stories, we get a glimpse of the father-and- son relationship in the title story, War Dances, in the section, REUNION, that depicts the love and bonding of father and son which is felt by the narrator more after his fathers death, I miss him, that drunk bastard. I would always feel closest to the man who had most disappointed me (Alexie 63). To the narrator, losing his father drives him into the greatest loss as he wanted to share that cheer he felt when a white man praised his brain. The readers of Alexie get easily connected to the bond among the relationships he portrays. He has an art to switch the emotional connections by his poems and stories. He is a feminist, a true loyal friend to his female friends, a man with moral center but at the same time he deals with father and son relationship. His characters are whether dealing with failed fathers or are failed fathers themselves. His stories are a mixture of emotions, love, and elemental images that holdWar Dancestogether.

Works Cited

Alexie, Sherman. War Dances. NewYork: Grove Press, 2009. document. Loree, Westron. "War Dances." n.d.

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