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George Wright
The powerful chief executive at Cavalry Records, who manages George Wright and Phil Sheridan. He has little patience for the mistakes of Coyote Springs when they play for him in New York, leaving the studio within minutes. Like the other two Cavalry Records executives, he too is a modern version of a famous U.S. Army Officer implicated in the slaughter of Native Americans. One of the better-known figures from that era, George Armstrong Custer (1839-1876) fought in the Indian Wars until he was defeated at the Battle of Little Big Horn. Significantly for Alexie’s novel, Armstrong once ordered his men to shoot 875 captured Indian ponies
Mr. Armstrong Quotes in Reservation Blues
The Reservation Blues quotes below are all either spoken by Mr. Armstrong or refer to Mr. Armstrong. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 9 Quotes
“These women have got the Indian experience down. They really understand what it means to be Indian. They’ve been there.”
“Explain.”
“Can’t you see the possibilities? We dress them up a little. Get them into the tanning booth. Darken them up a bit. Maybe a little plastic surgery on those cheekbones. Get them a little higher, you know? Dye their hair black. Then we’d have Indians. People want to hear Indians.”
Related Characters:
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Explanation and Analysis:
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"My students can't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof." -Graham S.
Mr. Armstrong Character Timeline in Reservation Blues
The timeline below shows where the character Mr. Armstrong appears in Reservation Blues. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 6
...Cavalry Records in New York City. A fax from the pair to their boss, Mr. Armstrong, gives a review of the band, suggesting that they have a lot of potential and...
(full context)
Wright and Sheridan are on the phone with Armstrong, who tells them to go check out a pair of “hot white chicks” in Seattle...
(full context)
Chapter 8
...At Cavalry Records, the band warms up nervously. Sheridan and Wright are nervous for Mr. Armstrong’s decision, hoping these Indians can make them money. Armstrong arrives, fat and powerful, and the...
(full context)
Chapter 9
...before Father Arnold’s decision, Betty and Veronica sit in Cavalry Records’ recording studio in Manhattan. Armstrong arrives to listen to them play, as Sheridan explains his plan. Because Betty and Veronica...
(full context)
Armstrong and Sheridan call Betty and Veronica into the control booth and explain their plan to...
(full context)
