Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in What You Pawn I Will Redeem, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Native American Culture and Identity
Money, Capitalism, and Morality
Racism and Colonialism
Death and Grief
Summary
Analysis
Jackson asks after Irene and Honey boy again, and frustrated, the bartender reiterates that they left hours ago. Jackson asks the bartender, “What am I supposed to do?” It’s closing time, and when the bartender tries to kick Jackson out, Jackson calls the bartender an “ungrateful bastard,” prompting a fight. The bartender lunges towards Jackson just as he blacks out.
The bar was only a temporary cure for Jackson’s deep sense of emptiness. Without his community Jackson doesn’t know what to do.
Themes
