Love Medicine

Love Medicine
Detail of beadwork from an Ojibwe medicine pouch

Sunday, January 13, 2008

I really like this quote. What do ya'll think?

"It's hard to be optimistic on the reservation. When a glass sits on a table here, people don't wonder if it's half filled or half empty. They just hope it's good beer. Still, Indians have a way of surviving. But it's almost like Indians can easily survive the big stuff. Mass murder, loss of language and land rights. It's the small things that hurt the most. The white waitress who wouldn't take an order, Tonto, and the Washington Redskins.
And, just like everybody else, Indians need heroes to help them learn how to survive. But what happens when our heroes don't even know how to pay their bills?" (p. 49).

12 comments:

Jessica Deckard said...

I love this quote too. Alexie sums it all up so succinctly. He is bleak and humorous at the same time. I love the way he subverts cliched language, uses examples we can all understand, and forces us to question our assumptions about how the world works.

Jessika Whitbeck said...

i agree with you laurie, i really like this quote too. Its basically saying that we all have problems but we still manage. Native Americans struggle with alcoholism and maybe other cultures struggle with other things.

Laurie said...

I like how it's simple and blunt, yet poetic at the same time. I'm really enjoying this book. Alexie's writing interesting and easy to read.

Kevin Quizzle said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
nitsudd said...

this is one of those quotes that attracts you imediatly and makes you read more. its interesting how sherman alexie puts her words together and makes a statement like that.

Clare said...

Yea i like this quote alot. I feel like Alexie is trying to say that Indians have a different mindset then others. The simplicity of the quote also sends more of an impact on the reader.

Kevin Quizzle said...

they are resilient. they been kicked out and been treated like dirt for so long they find ways of making it but when something little happens it hurts more...why is that that the small things hurt them/us?

another good quote is "its just like the sword in the stone" she said "when a woman comes along who can carry the weight of a dress on her back. thats when we know we have found the one who will save us all." pg 76

Anonymous said...

i feel like this is one of the times that Alexie makes Victor open up to the reader and show another, more "caring?", side of him

Macie said...

i think its a good quote because it talks about the situations of the indians in a humourous way so it catches your attention rather than if it was stated in bleak sad way

Trevinator said...

i like this quote because it shows the native american's feelings toward being disrespected as a minority.

alex hump said...

i like this quote too. i feel like it shows a different side of Victor. We hear a lot about his alcoholism and whatnot, but here he seems to have a great deal of wisdom. It was a poetic way of describing the Indian approach to life.

BHidalgo07 said...

I agree with Laurie that it is easy to read. I like how he doesnt say like 100 words to get one meaning across but instead makes it more understandable to grasp important concepts throughout the book.