In paragraph six, Alexie makes it clear that the society did not expect an Indian to be intelligent.

In fact, Alexie stating a smart Indian is a dangerous person, widely feared and ridiculed by both Indians and non-Indians alike, proves that it was not just expected that an Indian would not do as well as others, but it was wanted, by both Indians and non-Indians. With this expectation in Alexies world, it makes sense that the Indian children did not try in school or even want to. Being Indian and smart was strongly looked down upon by both Indians and non-Indians, and that would make it even harder for Indian children to even think about putting in the effort to learning. Since it was not considered important in the Indian culture to be literate, in non-Indian standards, children did not feel the need to start making it a priority. If literacy, in non-Indian standards, was important enough to the Indians to practice, being literate would be no problem for the children. It could have been the other way making the non-Indians uninterested while the Indians make it a great deal. Either way it goes, if expectations for a child learning to be literate are low, there should be no surprise if the child does not care to become literate. If a culture highly expects a child to be literate, the child will most likely become literate without any questions or doubts. I have also grown up with some stereotypical expectations. Being an African American lady, mostly referred to as black, it was generally predicted that I would not do as well in academics as any other race would. That was never the case for me. I stayed on top of my grades and kept myself in honors and advanced placement classes. When people finally realized that a black person could do the same level of work as any other race, I became a person that most students wanted to get help from, provided that I knew the material. Another expectation I grew up with was being a rebel. Growing up with sisters and a brother that liked to break rules, it was already expected that I would go out and follow in their footsteps. When it came to me, rules were more strict and enforced. If I wanted to do something, such as go over to a friends, it seemed like I could not go or I would have to go through so many obstacles to get an okay. I ended up being nothing like any of my siblings. Like Alexie, I did not let society define me. I went against what was expected of me and ended being better. Sometimes expectations can lead a person to or from the path others assume will be taken. Sometimes what someone thinks of a person can be totally wrong. All being said, expectations will impact everyone whether it be positive or negative.