Oct 13 2009
Danze di Guerra
The short story, “War Dances” by Sherman Alexie reveals the story of a lackadaisical Indian man who lives his life hidden behind comedic actions instead of showing his true feelings. Personally, I really liked this story even though it has few bursts of profanity. The story was not only about Alexie’s life, but it held a deeper meaning to life itself. The main theme revolved around the undying thought that no one truly knows what tomorrow will bring. One day we can be perfectly healthy and wake up deaf in one ear and with a tumor in our brain. Alexie is trying to illustrate that life comes with unexpected challenges, but no matter what, we need to continue to persevere through them in order to live. The main character in the story finds out that he has a brain tumor known as meningioma. He’s given little information about the disease, and like anyone else, he’s scared. But he decides to deceive his emotions and wear a mask. One example is his vulgar language. Personally I think Alexie uses such diction to create a sort of manliness about the character because “tough guys” seem manlier when the use bad language, and they don’t show their emotions. As his dad was dying, he still used cuss words instead of speaking his true feelings. He’s afraid to speak his mind because he doesn’t want to end up like a cockroach, curled up vulnerably on the ground, taken aghast by an unexpected event.
Overall, I would classify “War Dances” as a literary fiction because it centers mostly on the character development of the main character. It also holds that deeper meaning about being who we are because life can take unexpected turns.
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