49 pages 1 hour read

Sherman Alexie

What You Pawn I Will Redeem

Fiction | Short Story | Adult | Published in 2003

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Essay Topics

1.

“What You Pawn I Will Redeem” opens with Jackson declining to tell the story of how he became homeless. In what ways could the story nevertheless be considered a story about homelessness?

2.

Choose one of the story’s minor characters (Mary, Junior, Honey Boy, etc.). How does their appearance in the story contribute to its overall meaning?

3.

Discuss the ways Jackson acquires and spends money over the course of the story. In what sense could this process be considered “work”?