America’s perception of Native American alcoholism is highly speculated on, with regards to the extremely high percentile in comparison to the average American citizen. This concept of high Native American alcoholism rates is analyzed in the short story, ‘“What You Pawn I Will Redeem” by Sherman Alexie, a realistic-fiction text, in which the narrator, Jackson, goes on a mission to earn money and regain his grandmother’s prized regalia. In a different way, Maia Szalavitz explores Native American alcoholism in the article, “No, Native Americans Aren’t Genetically More Susceptible to Alcoholism,” where she looks at the alcohol rate in Native American households and connects it to different principles, as these large estimates are typically associated with genetics, a stereotype the author strives to abolish. In both of these texts, the role of Native American alcoholism is prevalent, as it is today in U.S. culture. Alcoholism has played a prominent role in Jackson’s life, brought up by his struggles with poverty, familial stress, and inability to educate, which are further explained in Maia Szalavitz’s article.
An origin of Native American alcoholism that is discussed in both texts is poverty. Szalavitz connects the high alcohol percentage with poverty, as people with low economic standing tend to have a higher risk of alcohol and substance abuse. In “What You Pawn I Will Redeem,” Jackson seems to use alcohol as a source of comfort in his struggle to gather money to pay the pawn shop owner. After completing several small jobs, he uses his newly earned money to buy alcohol, going to a bar on one occasion and buying alcohol for his friends on another. Szalavitz further explores the relationship between poverty and alcoholism in her article, writing, “local poverty rates and levels of unemployment rose in tandem with drug problems” (Szalavitz). Szalavitz closely relates the levels of poverty and alcohol abuse, connecting the root of alcoholism to something other than biology, something with which it is typically associated. In both texts, the authors identify poverty as a main source of Native American alcoholism, and how their high ratings are something that can be modified to reduce the level of alcoholism, similar to familial stress.
In addition to poverty, familial stress can also contribute to Native American alcoholism. For Jackson, his family history seemed to have a very prominent role in his life, as he recalls past moments in vivid detail. When Jackson is involved in a conversation with a police officer, he begins to recall the horrific time where his great-uncle killed his grandfather, saying, “And for some reason my great-uncle reached down, pulled my grandfather’s pistol out of the holster, and shot him in the head” (Alexie 41). This notion of tragedy is also explained in Szalavitz’s article, as she examines familial stress and its relation to alcohol abuse among Native Americans. In Jackson’s situation, he is heavily affected by the actions of other (elder) members of his family, as the actions of his great-uncle still haunt him. Szalavitz writes about this concept, stating, “stress doesn’t just affect one generation” (Szalavitz). Stress as a multi-generation ramification could be used to explain many of the events that have shaped Jackson’s life and well-being. Familial stress could also affect Jackson in other more basic ways, like pressure to get educated and involved in the work world.
Improper education and unemployment have staggering statistics in the Native American world, once again contributing to the immense percentage of alcohol abusers. In “What You Pawn I Will Redeem,” Jackson is never properly educated and fails to hold a steady job throughout the course of the book, scavenging for money in “blue- and bluer- collar jobs” (Alexie 29). These actions seem to contribute to his alcoholism as he lacks some common sense and relies on alcohol to relieve him of his stress and hide from his problems. In “No, Native Americans Aren’t Genetically More Susceptible to Alcoholism,” Maia Szalavitz stresses the significance of unemployment and how it corresponds with alcoholism. Unemployment has deep ties with alcohol abuse, as it “is linked with a doubling of addiction risk” (Szalavitz). Jackson seems to be able to relate to this statement, as he struggles to hold a job and fights his alcohol addiction. The basis of the story centers around Jackson’s battle with alcoholism and how his misjudgement with money often leads him down the wrong path in life. With the help of “No, Native Americans Aren’t Genetically More Susceptible to Alcoholism,” some of the factors behind Jackson’s alcoholism are given and supported with valid reasoning.
Throughout “What You Pawn I Will Redeem,” Jackson openly shares his encounters with alcoholism and how they have shaped his life. While the reader may initially attribute this battle to genetics, Maia Szalavitz explains the importance of other factors in “No, Native Americans Aren’t Genetically More Susceptible to Alcoholism.” Together, these texts are able to express how widely spread Native American alcoholism is, and the causes behind it. Among the causes of Native American alcoholism, poverty is one of the resonating factors. The underlying plot of Alexie’s story is Jackson searching high and low for money, but he seems to constantly be spending money frivolously and falling short of his goal. Maia Szalavitz addresses poverty at several different points in her article, and the statistics she shares show a mutual increase with low economic standing and alcoholism. Another point brought up my Szalavitz is familial stress, and how it affects more than one member/generation. For Jackson, memories of his childhood continue to haunt him, as they cloud his mind in his journey to redeem his grandmother’s regalia. As Jackson continues to earn money for the regalia, he tries to deepen the connection with his grandmother, even if she is not present. A final point brought up by Szalavitz is unemployment and minimal education’s role in Native American alcoholism. One of Szalavitz’s main intentions is to share the relation between unemployment and Native American Alcoholism, sharing that “people who are addicted are more likely to lose their jobs” (Szalavitz). In Alexie’s story, Jackson is constantly unemployed, picking up small jobs occasionally. Between the two texts, Szalavitz attempts to explain some of the factors that contribute to Jackson’s alcohol addiction. While these factors certainly help to explain Jackson’s struggles, they also share vital information about the Native American population. Through Szalavitz’s article, Native American citizens are given support and allow others to gain a more knowledgeable perspective on their struggles with alcoholism.
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