Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Who is the Indian Killer?
While reading the book I found myself wondering the entire time which of the characters was the killer. I went back and forth a lot. I thought it could be John at first, then that seemed impossible, then maybe not, then back to impossible again. I went through a similar mental struggle with Marie, Wilson, Dr. Mather, Reggie and so on. I focused more time throughout the book, going back to check stories and alibis then i did truly trying to understand the story. After all this work, I read the last chapter and was at first very upset. It did not reveal so great identity or have an ending that answered every question I had or anything of that nature. The final chapter failed to mention a name or any details. The killer is no one. The killer kidnapped a child, stalked and killed a chosen target, and also killed randomly. He appeared to cover all the bases of killing. This is not because the killer was random or anything, this was because the killer was not one being but more of an idea. It was the spark that lead to a final straw breaking. It does not have to be broadcast loudly who or what it is. That point is irrelevant. It was the spark that lit the prairie ablaze. The spark that lead to chaos in the streets and anarchy around every bend. The Indian Killer is not so much a person as an idea of injustice and stored vengeful greed. When the tension got to high, it all broke loose and the mini ethnic war began.
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Like I said in my blog I feel john is the killer in the way I want to end the story, but this is definitely an option. I totally agree that john was the representation of anger from past injustices and that he may not have been the killer. I mentioned that John was possibly schizophrenic and one of his many personalities was the killer, now this will sound far-fetched but what if John wasn’t schizophrenic what if John was haunted by the many angry Indian spirits of the past and that is why people thought he was crazy. Like I said it is far fetched but what the Indians are generally very spiritual people and this is something they may believe is possible. So in a sense if this is true then John technically wouldn’t be the killer but his physical being would be so I would still call him the killer.
ReplyDeletei always felt like it was john and i had the whole situation figured out while other classmates were pondering this question. had we not discussed the book in class i would have been led to believe that their was no other possible person. things led me to believe it was him from the first few chapters and i never let go of it. each time the author spoke of the Indian killer i pictured john in my head doing all these awful things. I think in my imagination I added pieces to the book that assured myself that I was right. I think this book must have been meant this way, I believe Alexie wanted us all to get something out of it so that it would truly be a mystery.
ReplyDeleteZ.Sweatman I too think the book led readers in many directions. I believe the killer to be John as he was going through and picking out the different knives and the first victim Justin Summers had an event with him on the street. He was called Chief and accused of being a drunk Indian. I also feel that Father Duncan had a great influence on John as a boy. when the killer is about to strike John feels and hears him and hears the drums beating and the warm sensation in his back. John showed violence in school pounding the bathroom stalls. He revealed violence in the doughnut shop. One of his personalities came out and took down its enemies in the way of the owl( ruthless and destructive). Alexie teaches that discrimination, ignorance, revenge and violence all go hand-in-hand.
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