What You Pawn I Will Redeem

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay. 

Scaffolded/Short-Answer Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the below bulleted outlines. Cite details from the story over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. Consider Jackson’s statement that he “believe[s] in magic” (Part 15, Paragraph 81).

• What role does magic or the supernatural play in the story? (topic sentence)
• Identify three moments in which a character either references magic/the supernatural or in which something ambiguously supernatural occurs. Discuss the significance of these passages in light of your topic sentence.
• Finally, use your concluding sentence or sentences to state how the idea of magic or the supernatural relates to or supports the theme of redemption and rebirth.

2. Consider the various stereotypes of Indigenous Americans that the story invokes.

• How and why does Jackson reference these stereotypes? (topic sentence)
• Identify three passages referencing stereotypes of Indigenous Americans or depicting characters in a stereotyped manner. Analyze these passages in light of your topic sentence.
• Finally, use your concluding sentence or sentences to discuss what the story’s invocation of stereotypes suggests about vanishing Indigenous peoples and cultures.

3. Consider how Jackson spends money over the course of the story.

• Broadly speaking, how does Jackson use money? (topic sentence)
• Choose three moments where Jackson spends or gives away money and discuss these with reference to your topic sentence.
• Finally, use your concluding sentence or sentences to discuss how Jackson’s use of money relates to the theme of different visions of economy.

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by text details, and a conclusion.

1. “What You Pawn I Will Redeem” is highly episodic in structure, with many characters appearing only once and then disappearing. Choose one of these minor characters (Mary, Honey Boy, the Big Boss, etc.) and analyze the role they play in the story. In what way(s) do they underscore the story’s themes? Do they appear in connection with any symbolism? How do they help establish the story’s tone or genre?

2. “What You Pawn I Will Redeem” is often humorous in tone, and it has elements of the picaresque—an often-satirical genre that follows the adventures of a lower-class and/or rascally protagonist. What kinds of topics does Jackson (or Alexie) tend to approach with humor? What is the effect of this manner of approach? How does the story’s tone relate to its themes? What, if anything, is Alexie satirizing?

3. Compare and contrast Jackson’s interactions with the pawnbroker and with Officer Williams. In what ways do these two figures embody the American economic and legal systems, respectively? What do Jackson’s relationships with them suggest about the historical or current relationships of Indigenous Americans to these institutions?