I absolutely loved the novel "Indian Killer" by Sherman Alexie. It was the type of story that I did not want to put down, because I so badly wanted to know what happened next. There were so many different complex characters and somehow they all ended up interwoven with one another.
I really enjoyed it when Marie snapped at Dr. Clarence Mather about the name that they had given the unknown murderer, "Indian Killer." It was a simple part of the story that perhaps often goes unnoticed by others, but the moment that I picked up the book I assumed, based on the title, that it would be a story about a murderer who killed Indians, not an Indian who killed others. As the novel started and up until the argument made by Marie I was frustrated, thinking that its moronic to call this murderer the Indian Killer, as it contradicts the events taking place. It is a random and perhaps insignificant part of the story, but it is one that I was happy to see, as I had been so annoyed by the title throughout the story until that point.
What I really loved about "Indian Killer" is how John Smith's mental disorder slowly unfolds and becomes more complex and obvious as the story goes on. At first we are presented with a character who perhaps is just shy, does not seem to fit in, an introvert. But as the story progresses we are given different events in his life that demonstrate his mental handicap.
I also enjoyed when there would be entire chapters giving very precise details about what John's life would have been if his 14-year-old birth mother had not given him up for adoption. Alexie does not write these parts of the narration as if they are fantasy, but as if they were also true events of John Smith's life. I would certainly recommend "Indian Killer" to any avid readers who may enjoy a raw look into other cultures.
I agree with ur post about John looking back to what his life would have been like if his 14 year old mother would have kept him. It felt like it was real and not made up in Johns head. I did not like how the killer was just given the name as the Indian Killer because some of the killers were not Indian, Like when David was killed. Those boys were white boys that killed him for his money but people just jumped to the edge and thought his killer was Indian. I hate it when people jump to the edge of things. But i would tell people to read this book because there are so many characters in the story and so much back ground information towards everyone one of them.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the deterioration of John's mental state throughout the book. I believe it is one of the major themes that Alexie was trying to get across. This handicap could be used for or against John in his case as the killer. But really it doesnt matter. The importance of his mental state is to show the issues that currently face those that are adopted off the reservation. John is in a constant state of confusion and tumor that is brought about in his own mind. It was like reading through a beautiful mind. I hoped at some point he would just pop some of the pills his parents continued to bring him, get a moment of clearity. But for the reader, John needed to contnue getting worse, to see what has become a real issue for Native Americans.
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