29 pages • 58-minute read
Indian Education
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Literary Devices
Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of substance use, addiction, racism, mental illness, disordered eating, and graphic violence.
Juxtaposition
Juxtaposition is a literary device that places two ideas, characters, or settings close together to highlight similarities or points of contrast. Alexie uses juxtaposition in several different ways in “Indian Education.” First, it reveals the stark contrast between life on the reservation and Junior’s experiences at school in the predominantly white farm town. For example, Junior’s struggles with cultural alienation and racism at the farm town school unfold against the backdrop of the reservation’s hardships and community life. This juxtaposition emphasizes the difficulties of navigating these two worlds simultaneously and thus develops the theme of The Tension Between Cultural Identity and Assimilation.
Another instance of juxtaposition occurs in Junior’s description of fifth grade, when he recounts his discovery of basketball alongside a cousin’s developing addiction. The language Alexie uses to describe each boy’s first encounter with his new “recreational activity” invites contrast. Junior reflects of his first basketball game, “But it felt good, that ball in my hands, all those possibilities and angles. It was mathematics, geometry. It was beautiful” (288). The same sentence structures, along with many of the same words, reappear in the description of Steven Ford “sniff[ing] rubber cement from a paper bag” (288). Of this, Alexie writes, “But it felt good, that buzz in his head, all those colors and noises. It was chemistry, biology. It was beautiful” (288). Junior’s closing reflection on this episode, “Oh, do you remember those sweet, almost innocent choices that the Indian boys were forced to make?” (289), underscores the juxtaposition, critiquing how cultural and systemic forces shape the development of the two Indigenous boys, who respond to their limited choices in ways that are both dramatically divergent and fundamentally similar.
Aphorism
An aphorism is a short statement of a general truth, such as “better safe than sorry.” In “Indian Education,” Alexie ends many sections with an aphorism reflecting the “lesson” that Junior learned that school year. These include “Always throw the first punch” (289), “Sharing dark skin doesn’t necessarily make two men brothers” (291), and “[E]verything looks like a noose if you stare at it long enough” (292). Tonally, these remarks broaden the relevance of Junior’s personal experiences, suggesting that they are passing into a kind of communal knowledge. “There is more than one way to starve” (291), for example, contrasts the eating disorders of the white girls in his junior high school with the hunger and malnutrition Junior and his family face on the reservation. The girls starve themselves due to untenable standards of beauty. Junior starves from poverty and a lack of access to healthy food. By including such aphorisms, Alexie shows the interplay of cultural wisdom and lived experience while also critiquing the environment that makes such lessons necessary.
Tone
Tone is an author’s attitude toward their subject, conveyed through language, style, and narrative voice. Because Junior narrates “Indian Education,” the story’s tone is an important element of characterization. Junior’s narrative blends dark humor and irony with moments of bitter sadness. For example, when recalling the cruel punishments and systemic prejudice he endured in grade school, he also remarks that Betty Towle was “so ugly that no one ever had a puppy crush on her” (286). Here and elsewhere, he approaches darker subjects with an ironic levity that underscores rather than undermines the seriousness of the topic. This is evident, for instance, in his account of his cousin’s first time using chemical inhalants: “Oh, do you remember those sweet, almost innocent choices that the Indian boys were forced to make?” (289). The tone of the story invites sympathy for Junior and his community’s pain while also highlighting the absurdity of the injustices they face. It is thus associated with both Trauma and Resilience in Indigenous Communities—a coping mechanism as well as a pointed critique.
Vignette
A vignette is a short, descriptive episode or scene that offers insight into characters or themes without forming a complete narrative arc, providing a snapshot of a moment in time. “Indian Education” rejects traditional plot structure in favor of this more episodic format, featuring 12 linked vignettes, one from each year of Junior’s primary education, and a postscript. Collectively, these vignettes show his character growth, the trials he faces, and the lessons he learns. For example, the account of kissing the white girl in seventh grade and the image of Randy punching Steven Flett capture moments that stand out to Junior years later as important lessons. Like the use of aphorism, the use of vignettes thus suggests the way that formative moments pass into memory, but in this case, the memory is personal rather than collective.
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