The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven by Sherman Alexie

For her, swimming seems to be a renewing experience comparable to rebirth. Alexie reinforces this association by showing how despite the exertion of swimming for hours, Nezzy actually gains strength after she comes out of the water. The image of her swimming naked evokes the womb and childbirth. Perhaps in reference to Nezzy’s forced sterilization, the story ends with her swimming in the river. In the late 20th century, the United States government continued this practice by giving unnecessary hysterectomies to Indigenous women, either by force or by tricking them into accepting the surgery (NLM). In earlier centuries, Europeans perpetrated genocide on Indigenous peoples by intentionally spreading disease, exploiting them economically, and engaging in warfare and land theft (Rutecki). However, the story also shows that women are subject to unique indignities, including not being taken seriously by the men and, most horrifyingly, forced sterilization. This respect for women hearkens back to “The Only Traffic Signal.”, which features a female sports hero. Women are accorded a certain degree of respect in the tribe they occupy leadership positions, and everyone seems to accept Nezzy’s prophecy that a woman will be the one to 'save the tribe'.

AnalysisĪlthough many of the stories in The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven focus on male characters, “The Fun House” examines what it is like to be a woman on the reservation. She puts on one of the beaded dresses and dances. That night she returns to the house, exhausted from swimming. She remembers being tricked into accepting a hysterectomy after her son was born. After the mouse incident, Nezzy swims naked in the river for hours, despite her husband and son’s pleas for her to come home. 30 years ago, Nezzy and her husband were injured in a car accident after her husband drove drunk. Her husband and son laugh and refuse to help her, which makes her very angry. The noise startles a mouse, which runs up Victor’s aunt’s pant leg. One night, she is watching TV with her husband and son when her son farts. They are beautiful, but too heavy to wear, and she likes to say that the woman who can wear one of her dresses will save the tribe. Victor’s aunt Nezzy makes beaded dresses as a hobby.

The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven by Sherman Alexie