Essay Questions

Why are Seymour’s people skeptical of him when he returns home from America?

Seymour is gay and the people back home know that he is a homosexual. Unlike people in much of the rest of America, where the society accepts gays as part of the society, American Indians them as evil because what they do is against the religious doctrines. Seymour's main activity is writing poems but his people do not approve of his work because they are suspicious of his motives. Therefore, Seymour is stigmatized in his home but he has no option but to familiarize himself with the local culture and way of doing things.

Why is Seymour struggling with identity conflicts?

The reader recognizes that Seymour is living in two different worlds. The first world is his legacy in America where society widely accepts his written work. The other world is that he is gay. However, the reader quickly recognizes that in America, Seymour is famous and his work is widely accepted. There is no one judging him besides having a white boyfriend. Nevertheless, he is rejected at home because Indian society does not accept homosexuals. Therefore, Seymour is struggling to understand and discover himself. The self-identity conflict remains as part of his life till the day he accepts himself the way he is.

What is the figurative meaning of ‘fancydancing' as used in The Business of Fancydancing novel by Sherman Alexie?

The author has used ‘fancydancing’ to represent the two worlds of Seymour. Seymour’s primary trade is poetry and the fancydancing language used by him symbolizes is self-identity. Despite being unwelcome at home, Seymour is confident that at last his people will accept him and he finds solace in his dance.