Jake Becker

Andrea Malouf
English 2610
August 1, 2016
Future of Identity
In Sherman Alexie`s book entitled The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven.
There are numerous short stories which depict Native American culture in the 20th century,
these stories center around a character named Victor as well as his family, and their
experiences in the Washington state. This literature, particularly the short story entitled,
Because my Father always said he was the only Indian who saw Jimi Hendrix play The Star
Spangled Banner at Woodstock, embodies the effect which postmodern society has played on
cultural identity. This paper will seek to showcase through the literature provided in this short
story, how cultural identity can be alienated in a postmodern society, as well as show how this is
a natural effect of globalization.To further the thesis of this paper, the literary theory of
postmodernism will be used in order to analyze the text and bring to light the cultural
implications of postmodernism and the effect which it has on ethnical identity.
The postmodern era of literature begin to establish itself in America in the 1960s. With
the newly established civil rights movements as well as the advance of technology,
institutionalized narratives were being put into question. The notions of subjectivity and
complexity were beginning to take precedent in literature. As the title eludes to ..My Father was
the only Indian who saw Jimi Hendrix play The Star Spangled Banner at Woodstock. Alexie
begins to illuminate the postmodern theory and how it has permeated into every ethnicity in the
modern world. Pastiche elements are intertwined based off the factors of first Jimmy Hendrix
playing the regal national anthem of American attuned through his electric guitar. This is then
assimilated with the experience of Victors father, a Native American, witnessing this

embodiment of postmodern society. A black man playing an unorthodox version of the national
anthem in front of thousands of unconventional spectators, this progressive event signified the
rise of ethnicities which were once marginalized. This cataclysmic experience accompanied by
various other occurrences happening in the western world, cement the notion of post
modernism.
Though with this newfound identity, one is left with a dissonance regarding their former
cultural identity. This is heavily influenced in Alexie`s story. This concept is embodied through
the marriage of Victor`s parents, it symbolizes the connection with their cultural identity. I
remember your mother when she was the best traditional dancer in the world.(Alexie,1). This
nostalgia is symbolic of the pre postmodern attributes of cultural identification. The idea of
cultural identity begins to be questioned as the post modernized self must recalibrate its
understanding of identity. This so called crisis of identity is seen as part of a wider process of
change which is dislocating the central structures and process of modern societies and
undermining the frameworks which gave individuals stable anchorage in the social world. (Hall
1996). This is something which was highly influential upon Native Cultures as their were
indoctrinated into the modern world of America. A crisis of identity is created from navigating
between the ideologies of two seemingly different narratives. This is the historical recipe for
creating postmodern thought.
Before postmodernism, this alienated state was something which created a dichotomy of
culture. There wasn't necessarily any positive integration until postmodern life was established.
I remember the first time your mother and I dancedWe were in this cowboy barWe danced
to a Hank Williams song.(Alexie 29). This excerpt symbolizes the integration of two ideals,
creating a pastiche accompanied with irony. It begins to deconstruct the binary relating to both
cultures. This integration is something which doesn't happen seamlessly. As Mike Featherstone
points out in Undoing Culture: Globalization,Postmodernism and Identity(1995).

Postmodernism and post colonialism have pointed to the problem of cultural complexity and the
increasing salience of culture social life through greater production, mixing and syncretism of
culture which were formally held separate and firmly attached to social relationships. This
reflects the industrialized alienation brought upon the 20th century and how socioeconomic
factors heavily influenced ethnic identity. As merited in Alexie`s story upon which shows the
stark economic disparity between Native Americans on reservation and those who were born
from the dominant culture.
The process of assimilating both cultures can be met with enjoyment as well as strife,
depending on what aspects of each culture you choose to reflect. Taking an identity which is
established and integrating it with another is something which is apparent in postmodern
thought as well as Alexie`s story. This process is embodied by Victor`s father in regards to the
negative and positive attributes acquired from cultural integration. Youve been spoiled by all
those drums. Been hearing them so long you think thats all you need(Alexie 30). This excerpt
provides evidence of Victors father attempting to rationalize the postmodern circumstance. It
shows how he is attempting to see things outside of his linear cultural perception. Although this
openness to integration is positive, it beings to invite in negative attributes which cause for strife
between the ideals. This is symbolized between the interactions between Victor`s parents. I
stood back and watched my parents argue. I was used to these battles. When and Indian
marriage starts to fall apart, its more destructive and painful than usual(Alexie 32). This
symbolizes the ethnocultural discord which becomes apparent from cultural integration. Victors
father distraught from the dissonance turns towards embodying the dominant ideals. After a
while, after too much fighting and too many angry words had been exchanged, my father went
out and bought a motorcycle(Alexie 32). This reflects the disharmony which can be caused by
cultural integration as well how one seeks to create homeostasis from the turbulence. As we can
see from whats been established thus far, there is an internal conflict which is being presented

based on external circumstances. This cultural integration is something which isn't inherently
negative for Victor and his family, but there is strife which is created from this fusion. This strife
is fueled by the questioning of what true identity is.
As postmodern thought has infiltrated our culture, we are now forced to look at social
constructs which were championed by modern thinking. The structured ideals of race and
ethnicity are now something which aren't inherently defined. Given the interconnectivity of the
western world, we are now left to evaluate exactly what cultural identification is and if it can
even be definitively identified given the homogenization of culture. Some cultural theorists argue
that the trend towards greater global interdependence is leading to the breakdown of all strong
cultural identities and is producing that fragmentation of cultural codes, that multiplicity of styles,
emphasis on the ephemeral, the fleeting, the impermanent, and on difference and cultural
pluralism(Thompson 1996). We see how this theory is symbolized in our literature, based on
how Victor`s father has embodied the pastiche Native American culture by leaving his wife and
son, symbolizing the removal of aspects of his ethnic identity. This fragmentation of established
identity is a cause of the postmodern influence upon 20th century America. What is left is a
bunch of miscellaneous pieces which need to be reconstructed in order to achieve a society
which can function properly.
Globalization is the end result of the postmodern experiment, though one could argue
that it existed prior to postmodernism with how trade systems were in place between cultures.
But given the innovation of our technology and how space and time have drastically diminished,
in terms of economics and communication, we can now ardently acknowledge that true
globalization has taken place. Thus, is is clear that a key component of postmodern
consciousness resides in the (initially shocking) confrontation of large-scale Western cultural
order with alternative ways of conceiving the nature of man and society(a predictable out come
of the globalization process)(Lizardo & Strand 2009). What this means for our immensely

diverse cultural backgrounds is a reformulation of what identification to culture is. Alexie`s short
story highlights the postmodern identity and the variance which is an integral part of it. The
globalization of cultural identity has by no means resolved the ethnic and racial issues which
were constructed in the past, but it has given rise to a understanding which shows that these
identities are nothing more than social constructs.
Postmodernism allowed for the iconoclastic process of dismantling cultural identity. We
saw this presented as an example in Sherman Alexie`s short story just how this dismantling took
place through cultural assimilation. Victor`s father symbolizes the transition of identity and his
mother embodies tradition of identity. Through the insight provided from globalization and
postmodernism, we are able to understand the necessary process which is taking place in our
society and how that process affects our notions of ethnicity and identity. With this ideas in mind
we are able to provide clarity to the issue of race and culture, instead of thinking of these things
as permanent signals for ones identity, we can now see that they are just social constructs
which were appropriate at a given point in time given the socioeconomic circumstance. This is
by no means insinuating that racial and culture issues are not real and don't need to be
addressed. But it does attempt to provide solace in the fact that these issues are something
which are temporal. Given the leaps and bounds we have made towards a homogenization of
culture, we are now even more responsible with setting the precedent for the resonance which
we will display. Unlike times past, we now have the capability at a decentralized level to affect
major quantities of our culture and environment. With this new ability it is vital that we take the
necessary steps to ensure that our cultural values are ones of integration and empathy. The
hope of this paper is to show that the integration is possible and that our ideals of what is
identity is something which has fluidity. We can choose what we let define us and not feel the
need to be marginalized outdated identities. Instead we should begin to delve deeper into what

identity means and that it is not merely defined by the color of your skin or where your ancestors
came from.

Work Cited:
Alexie, Sherman. The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven. New
York: Atlantic Monthly, 1993. Print.
Hall, Stuart. Modernity: An Introduction to Modern Societies. Malden, MA:
Blackwell, 1996. Print.
Thompson, Kenneth. Modernity: An Introduction to Modern Societies.
Malden, MA: Blackwell, 1996. Print.

Lizardo, Omar, and Michael Strand. "Postmodernism and globalization."

ProtoSociolgy: An International Journal of Interdisciplinary Research 26
(2009): 36-70.
Featherstone, Mike. Undoing culture: Globalization, postmodernism and
identity. Vol. 39. Sage, 1995.