Hayley Rathburn’s Blog

On the first page of “War Dances”, by Sherman Alexie, a prominent symbol is established. “…I unpacked my bag and found a dead cockroach, shrouded by a dirty sock, in a corner.” Then later, after the speaker lists all of the side effects of a disorder he has called phenobarbital, he says, “How do you like them cockroaches?” (pg. 6) The cockroaches represent difficulties, hardships, or hard times we go through in life. This is a fitting symbol because a cockroach is one of the most hated insects. It’s known for being hard to kill or to get rid of. This relates to problems in life also, it takes a significant amount of effort to get rid of them. There was a motif of insects in general that was woven throughout the story. He occasionally mentions locusts, cockroaches, and other bugs. Again, this just reinforces the trials the speaker is going through.

One aspect of the story that I related to very well was the medicial side. My mother has fibromyalgia which is a disorder that causes her to be in constant pain every day. She gets frequent migraine headaches that sometimes last for months at a time. I’ve had to watch her go from doctor to doctor trying to find different medicines to get relief. But almost every doctor she’s had has told her she’s crazy and that they don’t believe her. Also, it took many years for anyone to be able to correctly diagnose what she has. So, the frustration the protagonist in the story feels when his doctor is not being straightforward with him is very understandable. I can clearly see, based on my own experiences with my mom, why he becomes so bitter and angry. My mom has felt a similar way to the speaker when he says, “I wanted to throw my phone into a wall, but I said goodbye instead and glared at the tumorless people and their pretty tumorless heads” (pg. 10).

I would say “War Dances” is a piece of literary fiction. There are several symbols, motifs, and other literary devices that contribute to the overall theme of the piece.