Eng 200 - What You Pawn I Will Redeem

Emily Stevens

Professor Heckel

ENGL200

February 18, 2018

What You Pawn I Will Redeem

        “What You Pawn I will Redeem” is a story about a homeless, Indian man, named Jackson, fighting to win his grandmother’s regalia back. In the beginning of the story, Jackson states that he is a middle-aged, homeless, alcoholic, Spokane Indian man. Before he begins telling the story of how he fought to reclaim his grandmother’s regalia, he explains his life a little bit but does not give any reason as to why is homeless or why he went crazy. He simply states that he was just like any other middle-class working person where he worked, got married a few times, and had a few kids. He does not go into detail regarding his past however he is undismayed by his homelessness therefore, is an important part of his identity, along with being Indian. The theme in this story is the conception of identity especially of Jackson and the other homeless Indians in his area.

        The main character in this story, Jackson, talks about the different tribes of the different Indians he meets, being that he is a Spokane Indian. Jackson’s homelessness and heritage resonates throughout the story as that is how he identifies himself. There are several examples of how Jackson sets himself apart from other groups of people and how he identifies himself with others. The first example is when he says, “One day you have a home and the next you don’t, but I’m not going to tell you my particular reasons for being homeless, because it’s my secret story, and Indians have to work hard to keep secrets from hungry white folks.” First, he’s talking about not having a home in two separate ways, one being that he is now homeless, and the other being that he is a Spokane Indian and their tribe does not have a home either. He is also setting himself apart from the rest of society when stating “Indians have to work hard to keep secrets from hungry white folks” because he is homeless and Indian.