A Closer Look
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Unknown Past = Unknown FutureJohn Smith is born in a dirty hospital and is taken away from his mother as soon as he is born. He never knows his mother, never knows his history, never knows why he was ripped from his mothers arms when he was born. All of these unknowns lead him to question his identity all his life and resort to his imagination to formulate what happened in his past.
This is a symbol of the treatment inflicted on the Native Americans under the "Indian Removal Act". The tear inflicted on John's mother when he was born shows the tear the Indian Removal Act caused between the American people and the Native Americans. The birth of John shows the past is now our future. |
The actions of the past affects the decisions of the futureJohn does not know his past and identity which causes him to try and find a way to kill the demons from his past without knowing what they are. His future is affected by only knowing the pain of his past without knowing how or why he experienced it. This prompts him to become a killer of white men because he believes they are responsible for his pain. He scalps them and leaves them to die.
He leaves white owl feather with his victims to symbolize that the Indians were finally getting revenge for the past. Feathers represent trust, wisdom, honor, strength power and freedom |
One decision has a million consequencesThe treatment of Indians in American history brings out this murderous rage seen in Indian Killer. As long as Indians feel violence directed towards them by the American culture, murderous rage, anger and a desire to get revenge for their pain will be present in society.
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Killing the Past is the key to FreedomTrue victory only comes from overcoming the past. The many tears in John's life needed to be fixed before he could be whole. After John's last attempted murder, he throws himself of a skyscraper and ends his life. After he is dead on the sidewalk below, he is able to see himself for who he really is. He knows his past is finally put to rest and he starts to think about his mother, not with pain, but with hope for tomorrow.
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I think a lot of people want to deny that something that happened 100 years ago or 300 years ago still has long-lasting effects, and still changes, alters and mutates the way that we relate to each other.
~Sherman Alexie