In the book The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, author Sherman Alexie tells the story of 20th-century Native Americans through a compilation of short stories. The stories come from childhood memories, dreams and realistic situations. Through dark comedy and irony, a picture is painted of life in and around the Spokane Indian Reservation in Washington. The author uses intriguing themes such as alcoholism, forgiveness, passion, and family to depict the struggles Indians faced to retain their culture at a time when it was not embraced by the predominantly white society . Alexie depicts Indian culture by demonstrating their identity through four major themes. Three of the themes: passion, forgiveness, and family describe Alexie's positive emotion towards Indian culture, but he includes the theme of alcoholism to keep the book unbiased. Even though alcohol is a negative stereotype given to Indians and one that distorts Indian culture, the author includes it to show the descent of Indian culture since white people took over their land and forced them to assimilate. One of the themes of the book becomes recognizable in many books. short stories through recurring love-hate relationships. As we examine the relationships and characters present throughout the book, we see true passion. An example of a passionate relationship is that of Norma and Jimmy. In the short story "The Approximate Size of My Favorite Tumor", we learn of the love between Norma and Jimmy when they first met and married. We're soon met with hatred when Jimmy jokes about his cancer diagnosis. Norma becomes furious and leaves Jimmy. Norma leaving and the hatred shown is her way of dealing...... middle of paper ...... by Alexie here since alcohol is also a major cause of decline. Overall, Alexie uses this book to call on Native Americans across the country to do something about the destruction of their culture. It uses activities such as fancy dancing, powwows and storytelling to convey the idea that Indians are capable of rekindling the flame of their culture and that the identity of Indian culture can still be preserved. Norma Many Horses and Thomas Builds-the-Fire appear repeatedly in the short stories and have an unforgettable impact on readers. This is because they both have a strong sense of identity about their culture and the fact that it is slowly diminishing. Throughout the stories, these two characters do their best to use their talents to preserve their culture. The book is full of persevering characters who demonstrate the will of Native American culture to endure..