Alexie/Coulombe Summary Application

Reading:
Coulombe, Joseph. “The Approximate Size of His Favorite Humor: Sherman Alexie’s Comic Connections and Disconnections in The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven” American Indian Quarterly 26 (winter 2002) : p. 94-115. Project Muse. Ohio University Lib. Athens, OH.
Alexie, Sherman. "The Long Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven" New York: Grove Press, 2005

In Joseph Coulombe's "The Approximate Size of His Favorite Humor; Sherman Alexie's Comic Connections and Disconnections In The Long Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven”, the author is disputing the many critiques that claim that Sherman Alexie's humor, specifically in The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, is damaging to the reputation of American Indians. Coulombe believes that Alexie's humor is used as a way to connect people of diverse backgrounds, help heal wounds inflicted by stereotypes, and lead readers to reevaluate themselves by helping them cope with difficult truths. While fellow critics feel that Alexie's use of humor is demeaning and counterproductive to what his writing should achieve, Coulombe sees that Alexie uses humor as a way to bring understanding among all his readers. For Coulombe, Alexie's humor mimics that of the traditional Trickster, providing unbiased ground for mutual understanding and respect. Throughout his novel, Coulombe claims, Alexie uses humor as a way for people to connect to one another, despite differences or difficult situations. This allows a place for American Indians to embrace their culture, while allowing non-American Indians a new, less generalized perception. His use of humor breaks down barriers, allowing Indians and non-Indians to be on the same level of understanding. With his trickster-like abilities to mix the un-Ideal reality with humor, Alexie's conveyance of truth and humor allow all people a clearer understanding. Coulombe recounts many episodes in TLRATFIH that utilize humor in this way, defending Alexie against the critics that believe that his humor only strengthens American Indian stereotypes.


The examples Coulombe uses in his arguments are practically on every page of TLRATFIH. In nearly every story, examples of unity through humor are present. Coulombe claims that Alexie uses humor to "create positive connections between diverse backgrounds" (Coulombe, 95). Alexie's humor reaches wide audiences, giving people a connection when one doesn't seem to exist. This personal bond allows people to communicate with one another on the same level, which, Coulombe explains, "presupposes conflict", leading to a mutual resolution. (Coloumbe, 95). We can see this kind of humor in Alexie's short story, "This is What it Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona", when Victor and Thomas Builds-the-Fire fly to Phoenix to pick up the remains of Victor's father. They sit next to a white woman, Cathy, who would seemingly have nothing in common with two young Indians. However, it took only a small joke to lead to a flight-long conversation. This conversation is an example of what Alexie wants to achieve; a safe place for all people to communicate honestly and without bias. While this shows us how humor brings people together, we are quick to see how Alexie uses it as a sugarcoating for what he really wants to convey to his audience. While the three are sharing stories and enjoying one another, Thomas says something that leads them to silence. When Cathy is discussing how the government cheated the Olympic team, he points out that she "has a lot in common with Indians" (Alexie, 67). This statement's truth is already hard to swallow, but it hits even harder because, just moments earlier, they were all laughing together. In this is example, we can see the argument Coulombe is making; how Alexie's humor, although blunt and cynical, carries such a valuable impact on all of his readers. how Alexie uses his humor to apply the deeper messages he wants to convey. Once people are comfortable in the humor, and feel a sense of community, Alexie drops the explosive truth on them. The humor put Thomas, Victor, and Cathy in a vulnerable place, causing Thomas's sad but true statement makes a greater impact.


In the first story of the collection, Every little Hurricane, we get a clearer idea of how Alexie uses his humor to help the reader accept the realities we must face. It is set at a party at Victor's house when he is a child. The story opens up the collection by showing the audience Victor's sad background: drunken parents, violent uncles. However, these events are at a party, surrounded by laughter. But this party scenario is where we get our first taste of the bleak truths Alexie has to tell. He explains, beyond the generalization, who these people are and the pain they're trying to deal with. This is what Coulombe is arguing, that this cynicism does good, it gives new understanding, a deeper level of Insight for American Indians as well as those of different backgrounds. When applying Coulombe’s claims to TLRATFIH, we can see how Alexie's humor is able to do the things he claims it does. It lends itself as a way for the reader to face realities and to break down barriers to get a clearer understanding of the truth.