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Themes

This short story cycle is definitely a narrative saturated with alcohol. Of this topic, Alexie states, "when I write about the destructive effects of alcohol on Indians, I am not writing out of a literary stance or a colonized mind's need to reinforce stereotypes. I am writing autobiography."^[3] He also calls the work a "thinly disguised memoir,"^[3] as many of the stories stem from his own personal experiences.

Alcohol presents itself in almost every story in some way, shape, or form. Several of the stories suggest that the Indians accept and embrace alcohol as part of their identity. In "Every Little Hurricane," the weather represents alcohol and the subsequent drunken violence. Just as the reservation storm is generic and accepted, so is alcoholism accepted as an inevitable social condition. In this story, Victor's parents become alcohol when he tastes the whiskey on his mother's skin and the cheap beer on his father's. The motif of the Indians becoming alcohol presents itself again in "Because My Father Always Said He Was the Only Indian Who Saw Jimi Hendrix Play 'The Star-Spangled Banner' at Woodstock," when Victor describes himself as having been conceived "during one of those drunken nights, half of me formed by my father's whiskey sperm, the other half formed by my mother's vodka egg. I was born a goofy reservation mixed drink." ^[4]

Although many stories present alcohol abuse as an unavoidable problem, "A Drug Called Tradition" suggests that Indians can resist alcohol dependence and rediscover their native identity. During their vision, the boys go back to the time before they each tasted alcohol. After their rejection of the alcohol, the boys "sing and dance and drum. They steal horses." ^[5] This passage implies that the boys can share in male camaraderie through native practices, but only if they reject alcohol. This story demonstrates the Indians' desire to transcend the norm in their society and embrace their native roots.