69 pages 2 hours read

Sherman Alexie

Indian Killer

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1996

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Part 1, Chapters 13-21

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 1, Chapter 13 Summary: “Indian Gambling”

When Aaron refuses to come with him, warning that “they already killed one white guy” (105), David goes to the Indian casino on his own. He is nervous about it, expecting debauchery and danger, but is surprised to find the place safe, the gamblers mainly white people and the Indians all employees dressed in formal clothing. David has $40 with him and intends to gamble it all away. However, when he puts his last dollar in a slot machine, he wins $100. He gives the housewife at the machine next to him a dollar of his winnings to bring her luck, and she encourages him to keep on gambling. Expecting the worst, he gambles one more dollar and wins $2,000.

 

Refusing to take the money as a check, David leaves with $2,000 cash, feeling manly and brave. However, this feeling starts to fade in the parking lot. He talks to an Indian at an advertising kiosk. The Indian does not respond but can “smell the white boy’s fear” (108). Shaking now, David drops the keys to his truck and, as he bends down to pick them up, is knocked unconscious.