Ali Tarter
ENG L202
Final Response 5
07.08.2007
A Story in the Contradictions
The dry humor found in his own intellect is noticed from Williams’ initial inward sigh found in the midst of the first paragraph of Sherman Alexie’s
Flight Patterns . This particular quotation works to reveal essential details of his character, laying ground for the underlying idea of contradictory living found in the story.
William’s admittance of a vast accumulation of knowledge embedded in a rapid-fire mind is contrasted with his understanding that in his mind lays information both “sacred and trivial.”
This sarcastic attitude reveals his self-seen desire to contain contrasting identities; he wants to know “all of the great big and tiny little American details.” His self-proclaimed desire opens the door for a better understanding of his character, laying the foundation for his desire for two separate distinctions; that of a Spokane Indian, and that of an established, dutiful American middle class husband. This desire for two contrasting identities is a re-occurring theme for this character throughout the story; while William voices a wish to be someone other than his birthright, he also voices his dissatisfaction in having achieved such a role. William’s desire to obtain all information, for his ins and outs to be unlimited symbolizes his wish for satisfaction attained through identity.
The wording of his intellect, described as “a big comfy couch stuffed with sacred and profane trivia” brings to mind an image of a man who is lost from searching; his understanding that his endeavors is faced with his continual lack of contentment. Though he has gotten himself to a place which at least materialistically lacks nothing, and intellectually is “stuffed,” he himself is not content to rest in the pieces he has filled. He recognizes some things to be sacred, others not so, and yet he still desires both, all for the sake of attaining some sort of identity, but he is torn between what he would like his identity to be
These initial details are expanded upon throughout the rest of the story, bringing to light the different struggles within William; the desire to be a man who “loved his work…a man…who needed to work…” with “masculine tunnel vision” and the desire to stay home with his wife and daughter, perhaps not succeeding financially, but fulfilling a stereotypical idea of a male Native-
American. A continual battle between desiring to be recognized for his heritage, or else seen as triumphant over it is also waged in his character; once again, this is found not only in the issued quotation, but also in various other sections of the story. Descriptions relating back to the contradictory feelings inside William are demonstrated through the liberal dropping in of pop culture references, contrasted with that which is considered “sacred.” William’s struggle to understand his true desires are found throughout the story, and an overwhelming concept of confused identity equaling confused purpose is explored throughout the story.

The incompatibility of desires inside William’s mind are effectively demonstrated in the story’s opening; the rapid-fire thoughts upon wakening display his lack of a concrete foundation in himself, and the wry attitude seen in his initial sigh at himself shows his awareness of the swamp he is wading through.
Ali Tarter
ENG L202
Final Response 4
07.08.2008
The Edge of Something Large
Throughout the story, the flashbacks of James’s childhood are at first not understood for their full relevancy; the bad relationship between father and son is noted, but not until the reader discovers James’s abandonment do pieces of understanding truly fall into place.
The surprising visit to the World Fair is understood to be an often recounted memory; previous to the given quotation, James sees himself in a nightshirt and asks himself why he always seems to be wearing it. Describing himself as a “loyal animal,” one is given the image of walking the plank with the description “I followed him…right up to the edge of the largest building in the world.” The sheer size of the building gives visuals of the utter vastness and insignificance James may have felt lost in, and is displayed in the presentation of his tiny figure next to his father’s. His father’s “gentle” touch is drawn in a series of four panels, two of which are large, displaying the hugeness of the building, while the next two are smaller panels, and draw out how James felt for the rest of his life to varying degrees when remembering the day. Instead of the “gentle” press, James is pictured flying through the air, hoisted up by his father and thrown off the edge, his father leaning over the rail in exertion. The text found in the two smaller panels do not at all match the scene, and the bubble marks leading down to the next panel show how he later recollects the wounding exit. The wordiness of the explanation found in the second sentence of the quotation works to further exemplify the “truly dramatic manner” in which James’s father acted, and the way it all spun together for the rest of his life in his dreams; the actual significance, what his father said to him was “something dull.” This heartbreaking choice of words is coupled with a picture of James staring at the world spread before him, not really paying attention, while his father looks away, wiping at his eyes or nose, leaving James completely unaware of the immense changes he would have to face and live through. The panel above this reveals the summation of his situation;
James dreams of his father throwing him off the edge while he sleeps in a bed surrounded by rows of other beds full of sleeping children: an orphanage. His remark of waiting for

his father to return is quickly followed by a vast picture with five small words, stated in a matter of fact tone: “Of course, he never did.” The sense of numbness, of stone-in-throat acceptance is so adequately portrayed in the brevity of the realization. In this last sentence, understandings of James’s previous recollections are to be found.
Previous to this piece of history, the calmness found in his memories left one unsure of how his relationship with his father would turn out, and what the relevance was in its recounting. However, due to this understanding, the reader is able to tie James to Jimmy at last, giving them a connection which would not be obtained any other way. When
James meets Jimmy as a grown man, he is able to share the small piece of comfort that
Jimmy’s father did not choose the right way to act when Jimmy was young (170); this validation leaves Jimmy with a sense of relief, noted by the lessening degree of color of the redbird found on the next page in the story (171).
Instead of describing his father as leaving, or walking away, he instead chooses to word the departure as when his father “stepped aside.” The stepping aside is parallel to the relationship found in Jimmy Corrigan’s life with his father. In these two words, so much feeling is contained; the reader is able to hear the time worn effect in old James’s heart; the acceptance of the father’s abandonment is understood by his following confession “…I wasn’t really paying attention.” In a way, James’s story acts to describe another way Jimmy’s relationship with his father would have been. Had he gotten the chance to know his father, his heart would still have been broken, but in a slightly different way. Still, this set of panels is an integral part of the story, connecting James to
Jimmy, shedding further light on the history behind Jimmy’s stunted growth, and demonstrating the ties family share.