"Leaving the rez" : indigenizing urban space in selected short stories by Sherman Alexie.

As the world continues to move away from rural forms of living, so too do Native Americans struggle with this transition, both within the realm of literature and in the real world around us. The plight of modern Native Americans involves not only a transition from reservation to city, but also a struggle to be included in the defining forces of this country. Sherman Alexie's urban Indians clearly function in separate areas on the identity continuum, varying between total assimilation and complete culture preservation, which allows Alexie to make a statement about Native American identity in general as well as progressively shift the focus of his work over time. In Alexie's short story 'Saint Junior,' the main character, Roman Gabriel Fury, attempts to adjust his identity to that of the dominant culture by immersing himself in an urban setting through his involvement with an international basketball team, but he eventually fails and has no other option than to return to his home on the reservation. The story, 'The Search Engine,' depicts the life of Corliss Joseph, a young Indian woman who desires to fully adjust her identity so that it meshes with that of the dominant culture and is actively pursuing this goal through her involvement in higher education, often valuing the tenets of the dominant culture above those of her own heritage. In Alexie's story 'War Dances,' the unnamed protagonist exists as a mostly well-adjusted urban Indian who benefits from his involvement in both his Native culture and the dominant culture. This progression within Alexie's work demonstrates a more positive outlook of acceptance between the two cultures and acknowledges the necessity of a dualistic identity within such individuals