The irony of the discussion about Thanksgiving is that even though the Native Americans were violently abused by the Pilgrims, Junior's family still celebrates it. At the beginning of the chapter “Thanksgiving”, Junior is thinking to himself about how strange it is that his family is celebrating Thanksgiving. Junior says to himself “I always think it’s funny that Indians celebrate Thanksgiving...the Pilgrims were shooting Indians”(Alexie 101). Thanksgiving is based on the celebration of connection between the Native Americans and Pilgrims, and being thankful for what people have. But Junior realizes that there wasn’t really a good connection with the Pilgrims and the Native Americans. The fact that people still believe that the Pilgrims were good to Native Americans really shows the unfair power dynamic by showing that people don’t care what the Natives have to say and that they only listen to the white peoples side of the story. He also realizes that there isn’t much to be thankful for in his life. When he asked his father what to be thankful for, his father gives a very negative answer which was “we should give thanks that they didn't kill all of us” (Alexie 102). That quote really illustrates that there is no reason for Native Americans to be thankful to the Pilgrims on Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving has and still is seen as a time to give thanks and remember the connection between Pilgrims and Native Americans but because his experiences and the way society has shaped Junior, he knows that there is no reason to celebrate the racism that he and people like him have experienced.
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