Junot Diaz is another such writer, and his work also often uses magical realism and makes use of popular culture in a way that mirrors Reservation Blues. Toni Morrison, the author of Beloved and Song of Solomon, is one example of a writer who explores similar generational patterns of suffering and ingrained racism (and often uses fantastical elements in her work). On one level, Sherman Alexie’s work could be placed in a tradition of other writers who deal with the experience of minority ethnic groups in America. Blues musician Robert Johnson (1911-1938), who is a character in the novel, was a real historical figure and one of the most important musicians in American history, influencing other blues and rock & roll artists for generations. Similarly, the tradition of the Blues (another important part of the book) also comes from a history of oppression and slavery-that of black Americans. On a broader level, the book also underlines the sustained mistreatment of native peoples by the United States government, making reference to broken treaties and manipulative, insufficient welfare systems that have encouraged dependence, poverty, and alcoholism while quelling any resistance. The novel references battles involving General Philip Sheridan, who is rumored to have proclaimed that “the only good Indian is a dead Indian,” General George Wright, who fought against the Spokane tribe in the Pacific Northwest, and George Armstrong Custer, who is most famous for his participation in the Battle of Little Big Horn-these three figures appear in the book in the thinly-veiled guise of Cavalry Records executives, but experience flashbacks from their time in the wars. More specifically, though, the novel makes many references to the period of the Indian Wars, particularly those that took place west of the Mississippi River in the nineteenth century. Reservation Blues examines the way that the past sufferings of Native Americans contribute to the hard conditions of life on the reservation today, so the historical context of the novel really begins with the arrival of Christopher Columbus to America in 1492-the beginning of a slow but systematic genocide perpetuated by white Europeans against Native Americans.

Reservation blues