The novel, The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, by Sherman Alexie, explores the life of a young Native American man. This book of short stories depicts the negative aspects and issues in life he faces. Victor, the protagonist, is a young Native American man faced with growing up on a Native American reservation. Although not experiencing growing up in the healthiest of environments, Victor finds ways to cope with life. Consequently, his means of dealing with life are also not the healthiest. Victor is shown to drink alcohol which takes him into a world of his own. Victor's experiences in growing up in a community, where there is no motivation to succeed, lead to his use of alcohol to cope with the negative aspects of the reservation.
             Victor's family life is where many of his troubles begin. The story, " Every Little Hurricane," shows the irresponsible parental actions of Victor's parents: "...Victor was nine years old. He was sleeping in his bedroom in the basement of the HUD house... His mother and father were upstairs, hosting the largest New Year's Eve party in tribal history..." (1). Parents should not leave a young child unattended or on his own, especially on a special occasion such as New Year's Eve. He is deprived of the caring and love from his parents, because of their own selfish decisions to have fun, which serves as an outlet to cope with their hardships of life. Their concern for their child appears to have no meaning to them. Experiencing something like this at such a young age can cause a great deal of low self esteem in a child's life and can effect his or her future. This helps to build in Victor's mind a sense of not caring much about his life which contributes to his use of alcohol.
             Victor's parents invite people into their home that do not set a good example for Victor. Victor observes the behavior and acts of his parents' ...