In the following essay, McGrath examines The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven as both a literary work and as an artistic cultural representation.

In Sherman Alexie's story, "A Drug Called Tradition," from his story collection, The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, Victor, the narrator, speaks about what he calls the skeletons of the past and the future: "There are things you should learn. Your past is a skeleton walking onestep behind you, and your future is a skeleton walking one step in front of you . . . Now, these skeletons are made of memories, dreams, and voices. And they can trap you in the in-between, between touching and becoming. But they're not necessarily evil, unless you let them be. What you have to do is keep moving, keep walking, in step with your skeletons . . . no matter what they do, keep walking, keep moving . . ."

This idea...