Lila Bilsky

Dr. Suhr-Sytsma
English 181-001
03/15/16
Never Forget
Introduction:
Observations:
Alexie explores hard topics in his works, specifically the search for
identity
Alexie integrates white characters throughout his works
Empathy, compassion and forgiveness mark a possible way out
of suffering and grief pg 224-225. The author is claiming that these 3 emotions
from others helps victims of suffering overcome their pain. The author is speaking
in the context of Native American suffering.
The soul wound is not a thing of the past. Alexie shows through
his modern novels that Native American pain is still present. The author of the
article argues that Alexie wants to dramatize Native history, experience, and
suffering to disrupt widespread historical amnesia (pg 227). The author believes
that Alexies novels allow readers to witness Native American suffering, which is
typically neglected in mainstream media/journalism.
Native Americans fight for respect and understanding. Many feel
as if no one cares about their suffering. Native Americans struggle to retain their
land, lives, and culture and yet mainstream society seems to not pay any
attention to this matter.
There is no relief from trauma if there are no witnesses: Victims of
historical trauma desperately need someone to validate their pain by
acknowledging their grief. Without some sort of efficacious intervention, the
traumatized person cannot understand or witness the sources of their suffering
and thereby gain relief from its continual haunting. The author of the article
argues this, and I definitely agree with that after reading True Diary.
Nihilism is never overcome, but you can continually fight it off and
tame it with love and care. Nihilism is a numbing detachment from others and a
self-destructive disposition toward the world. Life without meaning, hope, and
love breeds a cold hearted, mean-spirited outlook that destroys both the
individual and others (234).
Questions:
How do Zits and Juniors search for identities differ? How are they
similar?
Why does Alexie make white people such an integral part of his
stories? For example, the family that ultimately adopts Zits is white. Junior also
goes to a white high school and has a white girlfriend. Can cross-racial alliances
and communities of concern play a powerful role in healing those afflicted by the
soul wound of colonialism?
Can those who suffer really overcome their pain without apologies
from those who have inflicted that pain? Victims generally need to forgive others
in order to move on, but is it possible without an apology? Also, how important is

empathy and compassion for relieving pain? We see that Junior receives a lot of
empathy and compassion and his story has a happy ending, but what about Zits?
People do not show Zits nearly as much empathy/compassion, but his story also
has a happy ending. So how important is empathy and compassion?
Why is it that Native American suffering is totally neglected by
society? As a modern society, we recognize the past suffering of African
Americans, so why not Native Americans?
Native Americans also spend a decent amount of time fighting for
respect within their own communities as well, right? We see Junior spending
most of his time trying to gain respect from the people who live on his
Reservation, not the white people he goes to school with. Zits also deals with the
idea of betrayal and needing to gain respect in Native American communities.
Junior has his friends at his new school as his witnesses, but what
about Zits? Is he himself the witness to his father's suffering? Or is Alexie trying
to make cop Dave Zitss witness?
Key Arguments:
Empathy and compassion help aid the forgiveness process>>
Apologies are not crucial in the forgiveness process>>
Forgiveness leads to healing and letting go of pain
Alexie purposely makes his characters suffer pain in order to show
this linear process. Native Americans hold onto so much pain because
mainstream society neglects to acknowledge this pain.
Tentative Thesis Statement:
While the soul wound is not a thing of the past, Alexie shows that
Native Americans can overcome their pain by creating happy endings in Flight
and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. Zits and Junior are able to
relieve their suffering by receiving compassion and empathy, as well as
possessing the ability to forgive. Jan Johnsons claim that there is no relief from
trauma without witnesses is supported by both novels, which goes to emphasize
the seriousness of neglecting the suffering of Native Americans.

Body Paragraph:
Argument: The soul wound is pain that Native Americans continue to suffer as
a result of colonialism and cultural genocide
Authors Point: Is still present today. Did not start and end with Columbus
arrival and following deaths of millions of Native Americans
How It Relates to the Novels: Zits and Junior come from households and
environments that suffer from alcoholism, accidental deaths, racism, and oppression.
They suffer more pain and instability than most other racial groups do, which can be
attributed to unresolved grief. Grief is passed on from generation to generation if it is not
dealt with, which is exactly what has happened to Zits and Junior. Their parents suffered
grief, and so did their grandparents, and it has been passed down to them because
there has never been any intervention.
My Claim: It is almost impossible to break from this cycle of grief. However,
Alexie has both Zits and Junior successfully do so. Zits does not follow in his fathers

footsteps, and Junior does not let his family inhibit his life goals of leaving the
reservation. Through a specific healing process-which will be talked about in the next
two paragraphs-both characters are able to overcome their soul wounds and let go of
their sufferings. The characters are able to fight off cultural genocide through this
newfound strength.
Helpful Quotes:
Victims of historical trauma desperately need someone to validate
their pain by acknowledging their grief. Without some sort of efficacious
intervention, the traumatized person cannot understand or witness the sources of
their suffering and thereby gain relief from its continual haunting (pg 232).
Body Paragraph: (this will probably turn into two paragraphs)
Argument: There are two necessities to relieve the pain caused by colonialism
and cultural genocide. The first is to receive compassion and empathy from others. In
order to recover from suffering, their needs to be witnesses to your pain.
Authors Point: The author claims that Alexie uses his novels to enable readers
to empathize and feel compassion towards Zits and Junior. This is a logical argument,
seeing as both Zits and Junior suffer from extreme hardship.
How it Relates to the Novel: How can readers not feel bad for Zits and Junior?
Zitss father left him and his mother died, so he bounces around different foster homes.
He is poor and feels unloved. On the other hand, Junior has grown up with both his
parents, even though they suffer from alcoholism and depression. His grandmother and
sister have traumatic deaths, and he goes to bed hungry sometimes.
My Claim: While the author talks more directly about readers of the novel being
witnesses to Zits and Juniors suffering, I believe that each character has white friend(s)
that are their witnesses. Zitss witness is officer Dave, who has seen him at his worst
times. However, Dave is still there for Zits at the end of the novel, and I believe he gives
Zits the motivation to keep fighting against his pain. Juniors witnesses are Roger and
Penelope, who allow him to finally become comfortable with himself. They are witnesses
to his poverty; while initially embarrassed that Roger and Penelope would judge him for
his homelife, Junior finds more strength and confidence after they empathize with his
situation. The white witnesses serve as allies who not only help Zits and Junior keep
hope, but allow for necessary cross-cultural interactions.
Potential Addition: if I were to make this body paragraph into two, I would
negate the authors claim that compassion and empathy serve to interrupt nihilism. I do
not agree with the claim that nihilism is a general state of being. I do not believe Zits and
Junior were born angry at the world, but rather nihilistic thoughts and feelings are
shaped by the environment.
Helpful Quotes:
Alexies works are narratives of trauma seeking witnesses to his
characters-and by extension, Native peoples-grief and pain (pg 227).
Empathy, compassion, and forgiveness mark a possible way out
of suffering and grief (pg 225).
Cornel West stresses the need for compassion and empathy to
interrupt the scourge of nihilism, and this is what Alexies new work suggests as
well (pg 234).

Body Paragraph:
Argument: The second necessity to relieve pain is the ability to forgive.
Forgiveness, even without an apology, is essential to the healing process.
Authors Point: While the author does not elaborate much, I believe she hints
that Zits and Junior would be unable to move on and let go of their pain if they cannot let
go of what has hurt them.
How it Relates to the Novel: both characters have people who have hurt them,
specifically their fathers. Zits becomes his father in the Flight, and I believe the only
reason why the novel has a hopeful ending is because Zits has decided to forgive his
father. Junior has a bad father, but the character he ultimately needs to forgive to let go
of his pain is Rowdy. Without forgiving Rowdy, Junior is still connected to his suffering
and is unable to move on.
My Claim: Neither one of these characters receives an apology from the people
who have wronged them. Instead, Zits and Junior go through experiences that help them
relate to these people. They are therefore able to forgo apologies and forgive them. The
author of the article never fully answers this question, so I am firmly saying that it is
possible to forgive without apologies. However, it does take a lot of personal strength
and determination, which both Zits and Junior have.
Helpful Quotes:
There is no future without forgiveness and cross-racial alliances
and communities of concern can play a powerful role in healing those afflicted by
the soul wound of colonialism (pg 237).
Must victims forgive their oppressors, even when they do not
receive an apology from them? Can victims of colonialism and historical trauma
heal without an apology? (pg 236-237).

Body Paragraph:
Argument: The suffering of Native Americans is not appropriately acknowledged
in mainstream society. This is why the soul wound persists.
Authors Point: It is apparent that our society does not want to acknowledge its
mistakes of the past. By not acknowledging the Native American Holocaust, Native
Americans are unable to appropriately handle past traumas.
How it Relates to the Novel: I think the racial divides between white people and
Native Americans display and inhibit a lack of understanding and compassion for Native
American suffering. Both Zits and Junior experience racism, which lowers their self
confidence and worth.
My Claim: Zits and Junior do not suffer as much when their pain is
acknowledged and they no longer have to fight for respect. I think the lack of
acknowledgement of past traumas leads to identity problems. People do not respect
Native Americans, but instead think poorly of them and often times humiliate them.
When the pain is acknowledged, there is less racism and therefore more respect.
Gaining the respect of outsiders allows Zits and Junior to make positive changes to their
lives.
Helpful Quotes:

 The dominant cultures lack of acknowledgement of the American

Indian holocaust. Pg 226
Alexie wants to dramatize Native history, experience, and
suffering to disrupt widespread historical amnesia. Pg 227
Victims of historical trauma desperately need someone to validate
their pain by acknowledging their grief. Without some sort of efficacious
intervention, the traumatized person cannot understand or witness the sources of
their suffering and thereby gain relief from its continual haunting.

Conclusion:
So What: I think an important question to address in the conclusion is what can
we do about this problem? We have acknowledged that people have forgotten about
Native American suffering and Alexie is trying to bring it to peoples attention through his
novels, but what more can be done? For some reason our country can acknowledge the
past pain and suffering of other groups, such as African Americans. It is not okay to try to
forget Native Americans and hope nobody notices/cares. Not only is it morally wrong, but
it has been proven that it ruins the lives of Native Americans who are unable to
continue/complete the healing process. The healing process is complex, and it starts
with witnesses expressing empathy and compassion. Expressing empathy and
compassion is only possible if the suffering is acknowledged.
Future: There is hope. Alexie has created characters in the novel that allow
readers to see that there are people who acknowledge pain, even if it takes a little bit of
time. Role models include Officer Dave, Gordy, Penelope. Etc. While some of these
characters express racism initially, they become a driving force for Zits and Junior.
Questions/Challenges:
Refine thesis/word choice: my thesis is lengthy and uses unsophisticated
language. However I do like the ultimate message it conveys. Do you think the point is
clear enough? And do you think my argument is original/creative? I am not trying to state
the obvious, but I can see where some people might not think my argument is complex.
What is pain? I talk about the pain Zits and Junior suffer, but I need to define it
in my final draft. I know that pain is passed on from generation to generation, but I need
to make that more clear when I talk about Zits and Juniors suffering.
Choice of topics: As you can see, I made many observations in the beginning of
my outline. However, I had to omit some because I could not include everything and
make a clear and concise argument. However, are there certain topics that I outlined that
you think I made a mistake by leaving out? Or are there topics that I did choose to
include that you find unnecessary/repetitive? I read the whole article, but I know that it is
impossible to analyze every aspect of it. I definitely struggle to decide which elements
are more important than others.
Linear Argument: I am really hoping that my argument follows a linear path. I
think my first 3 (or 4 depending on which route I take) body paragraphs are extremely
linear, but Im not sure about the 4th (or 5th) body paragraph. I know I definitely want to
talk about the lack of acknowledgement of Native American pain, but does it flow nicely

after the previous body paragraph? Or is there something you think I can do to tie the
body paragraphs together?

You keep your sorrow to yourself Flight pg 149

Scene where teacher admits he tried to get rid of the Indian in students
I am my father-pg 150
I aint worth shit
Third Body Paragraph (idea): Johnson has argued that people try to ignore the suffering of
Native Americans. However, in Flight and True Diary Zits and Junior are given more attention by
their white peers than by anyone else. So while in the past it not only became easy to ignore
Native Americans, people purposely tried to rid society of them (ie building reservations.)
However, with increased cross-racial interactions, it becomes harder to ignore Native
Americans. Zits and Junior are not ignored because they do not isolate themselves. I would
argue that an increase in cross-racial and cultural interactions would allow for a more rapid
healing of the soul wound.

In the books I think it is hard to ignore Junior and Zits suffering bc they are emerged in white
people communities. But bc most Native Americans are isolated on reservations (quote from
true diary) it becomes much easier to ignore their suffering bc they arent in clear sight!!!!!

Bibliography:
Alexie, Sherman. Flight. New York, NY: Black Cat, 2007. Print.
Alexie, Sherman. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. New York: Little, Brown and
Company, 2007. N. pag. Print.

Johnson, Jan. Sherman Alexie: A Collection of Critical Essays. Salt Lake City: University of
Utah Press, 2010. 224-37. Healing the Soul Wound in Flight and The Absolutely True Diary
of a Part-Time Indian. Print.