What You Pawn I Will Redeem

by

Sherman Alexie

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Junior is a part of Jackson’s “regular crew.” He is a Colville American Indian, and he makes Jackson feel insecure because he has what Jackson views as distinctively American Indian features, whereas Jackson sees his own features as evidence of the destruction that colonialism wreaked on indigenous people. Junior is drunkenly passed out for most of the story, and Jackson returns to him periodically to make sure he is still alive and to rummage around in his clothes for money. Eventually, Jackson returns to find that Junior, like Rose, has abandoned him. Junior had hitchhikes to Oregon, where he tragically dies of exposure in an alley behind a Hilton Hotel.

Junior Quotes in What You Pawn I Will Redeem

The What You Pawn I Will Redeem quotes below are all either spoken by Junior or refer to Junior. 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:
Native American Culture and Identity Theme Icon
).
Noon Quotes

If you put Junior and me next to each other, he’s the Before Columbus Arrived Indian, and I’m the After Columbus Arrived Indian. I am living proof of the horrible damage that colonialism has done to us Skins. But I’m not going to let you know how scared I sometimes get of history and its ways. I’m a strong man, and I know that silence is the best way of dealing with white folks.

Related Characters: Jackson Jackson (speaker), Junior
Related Symbols: The Powwow Regalia
Page Number: 171
Explanation and Analysis:
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Junior Quotes in What You Pawn I Will Redeem

The What You Pawn I Will Redeem quotes below are all either spoken by Junior or refer to Junior. 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:
Native American Culture and Identity Theme Icon
).
Noon Quotes

If you put Junior and me next to each other, he’s the Before Columbus Arrived Indian, and I’m the After Columbus Arrived Indian. I am living proof of the horrible damage that colonialism has done to us Skins. But I’m not going to let you know how scared I sometimes get of history and its ways. I’m a strong man, and I know that silence is the best way of dealing with white folks.

Related Characters: Jackson Jackson (speaker), Junior
Related Symbols: The Powwow Regalia
Page Number: 171
Explanation and Analysis: