The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fist Fight in Heaven
Chapters 1-5

Drug Called Tradition: Questions
1. What does the hurricane symbolize in this story?

2. What is the role of the storytelling as seen here, and what makes this role so difficult?

3. How do sensory images from Victor’s childhood contribute to themes of this story?

4. Which experiences finally bring the community together, and how is this communal bond ironic?

5. What does the end of the story portend for Victor’s future, and thus, for the themes of other stories in the book?

Drug Called Tradition: Questions
1. How does the style of the story, especially the repeated shifts in time and place, impact its themes?

2. Which attitudes toward the ritual of earning one’s adult name are apparent in the story?

3. How do the three visions address the past and present situation of the American Indian tribes?

4. What does the plotline foretell for the futures of the three main characters?

5. What does the “tiny drum” symbolize at the end of the story?

Crazy Horse Dreams: Questions
1. What is the significance of the comparison between Crazy Horse and Victor?

2. What fears finally separate Victor from the girl at the powwow, and what do they suggest about his development as a character?

3. How does Alexie reclaim basketball for Native Americans in “The Only Traffic Signal on the Reservation Doesn’t Flash Red Anymore,” and what is the impact of this claim on the storyline?

4. Why is it so difficult to believe in heroes on the Reservation?

5. What is the mood of the final scene, and what does it suggest...

Because My Father Always Said: Questions
1. Which role does music play in Victor’s childhood?

2. Why does Victor agree to accept help from Thomas, and how is his decision significant to “This is What it Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona”?

3. How are Victor’s and Thomas’s attitudes toward their Native American identity different?

4. To what extent are these attitudes changed or resolved by the end of these stories?

5. How do childhood memories affect the meaning of both stories?