What You Pawn I Will Redeem

The pawnbroker of the shop where Jackson spots the regalia is an elderly white man who originally bought the clothes for $1,000. Although he seems genuinely moved by Jackson’s predicament, he initially says he can’t afford to pocket the loss; instead, he offers Jackson $20 and 24 hours to raise the difference. Nevertheless, when Jackson returns, he agrees to give him the regalia, saying that he has earned it.

Other than Jackson himself, the pawnbroker is perhaps the most significant and complex character in the story. In many ways, he symbolizes the historical relationship between Native Americans and white America. In much the same way that European colonists and their descendants made their living off land stolen from indigenous Americans, the pawnbroker is selling ceremonial clothing stolen from Jackson’s grandmother. Furthermore, his discomfort with “taking advantage of [Jackson’s] disadvantages” arguably satirizes an American tendency to substitute feelings of guilt for a redressing of historical wrongs (Part 1, Paragraph 33). That the pawnbroker does ultimately give Jackson the regalia suggests that some form of restitution may be possible even as Jackson remains largely at the mercy of white America.

Alternatively, the pawnbroker’s change of heart may reflect the quasi-supernatural role he and his shop play in the story. There are indications early on that there is something magical about the pawnshop; Jackson, for instance, remarks when he first sees the shop that it seems to have appeared out of nowhere. In this sense, the pawnbroker functions as the mystical or even divine figure who rewards the hero—Jackson—for his efforts.

Officer Williams is a good-natured policeman who is friendly with Jackson and sometimes gives him candy bars. On the second day of the story, he finds Jackson passed out on the railroad tracks and tries to help him by driving him to a detox center. However, when Jackson explains that he only has a few hours left to try to reclaim his grandmother’s regalia, Officer Williams tries to help him, first offering to file a police report and then giving Jackson $30; although Williams knows there’s a good chance Jackson will spend the money on alcohol, he explains that he wants to believe in Jackson and his mission.

The three Aleuts Jackson meets near the wharf have been stranded in Seattle since spending the money they earned on the working boat that brought them there. When Jackson asks them how long they have been waiting for their boat to return, they tell him it’s been 11 years. They share some of their traditional songs with Jackson and then have breakfast with him; Jackson says he “heard later that the Aleuts had waded into the salt water near Dock 47 and disappeared” (Part 19, Paragraph 1). More than perhaps any other character, the Aleuts therefore represent the plight of indigenous Americans who long to return to a vanished past and who are in danger of disappearing themselves.

Rose of Sharon is a Yakama woman who is friends with Jackson and Junior. She disappears after the three get drunk on alcohol from a 7-Eleven, and Jackson later learns she hitchhiked back to the reservation where her sister lives.

Junior is a young and handsome Colville man with “great big cheekbones that are like planets” (Part 1, Paragraph 5). Though somewhat jealous of Junior’s good looks, Jackson is friends with him, describing him as part of his “regular crew.” Junior spends most of the story passed out after drinking with Jackson and Rose of Sharon. He then disappears, and Jackson later learns he died of exposure after hitchhiking to Portland, Oregon.  

The Big Boss oversees an organization called Real Change, which (among other things) publishes a newspaper centered on issues of poverty and homelessness. Jackson finds occasional work with the group, and when he explains his desire to recover his grandmother’s regalia, the Big Boss gives him a free stack of papers to sell. In Jackson’s words, he’s a “funny and kind man” (Part 5, Paragraph 9).

Mary is a young Korean woman who works at her parents’ grocery store and “[sings] all day” (Part 8, Paragraph 2). Jackson, who is a regular customer, repeatedly professes his love for her, and Mary clearly regards him with some affection even as she reminds him he’s much older than her; when he returns to claim another lottery ticket, she gently teases, “Just like a man [...] You love money and power more than you love me” (Part 8, Paragraph 19).

Irene Muse is a “chubby and pale” Duwamish woman (Part 10, Paragraph 10). Jackson meets her and her friend Honey Boy at Big Heart’s and buys drinks for them; Irene and Jackson flirt and banter for the next hour before hooking up in the women’s bathroom.

Honey Boy is a “tall and skinny” young Crow man whom Jackson meets at Big Heart’s (Part 10, Paragraph 10). He implies that he is bisexual, and his overall demeanor is flirtatious and outgoing, with a tendency towards irreverent humor.