Resisting Resistance: Finding Cultural Hybridity in Sherman Alexie's Sonnets

Abstract

American Indian writer and poet Sherman Alexie is well
known for writing in mixed genres. His use and sometimes
alteration of classic Western forms like the sonnet has Jed to his
being labeled by literary critics as a writer of resistance against a
society ruled by Western European ideals. While these assertions
may not be wrong, this paper instead seeks to explore the many
instances in Alexie's sonnets in which the author seems to be
creating intersections and connections between cultures rather
than emphasizing the dividing lines. By creating mixed genre
pieces and even altered sonnets utilizing both American Indian
and Western characteristics, Alexie is able to remind his reader of
the atrocities of the past, both distant and recent, while still
expressing unsentimental optimism for a future which embraces
those of bicultural heritage like himself.