Zits Wakes, Counts Scars

Fifteen-year-old Zits, a half-Irish, half-Native American boy, wakes up in yet another foster home, counting the zits on his face and the scars on his soul. Orphaned young, shuffled through twenty foster homes, he's angry, alienated, and convinced he's unlovable. Zits is haunted by memories of his mother's love and his father's abandonment, but mostly he's defined by shame—about his looks, his heritage, and his inability to belong. He's a chronic runaway, a petty thief, and a self-described "blank sky." Zits' only possessions are a few clothes, some books, and photos of his parents. He's learned to expect nothing from adults, and his only comfort comes from music and TV. Zits' pain is raw, his humor biting, and his sense of self is fractured. He's a product of violence and neglect, and he's teetering on the edge of something desperate.

Justice and the Ghost Dance

After a fight with his foster family, Zits is arrested and meets Justice, a mysterious, brilliant, and charismatic white kid in juvie. Justice befriends Zits, offering him the first real connection he's ever felt. Justice is a radical, a provocateur, and a master manipulator, feeding Zits' anger and sense of injustice. He introduces Zits to the idea of the Ghost Dance—a Native ritual meant to bring back the dead and erase white oppressors. Justice asks Zits: "Would you kill to bring your parents back?" Over days of bonding, Justice gives Zits guns and a mission: to start a revolution, to become a "Ghost Dancer" and strike back at the world that's hurt him. Zits, desperate for meaning and belonging, is seduced by Justice's vision and the promise of power.

Bank Lobby, Guns Drawn

Zits enters a downtown Seattle bank, armed with a real gun and a paint gun, ready to commit an act of mass violence. He's fueled by Justice's rhetoric and his own pain, convinced that killing strangers will somehow heal his wounds or bring back his parents. As he prepares to shoot, time seems to fracture. A man in the bank tells Zits he's "not real." Zits pulls the triggers—and is shot in the head by a guard. But instead of dying, Zits is catapulted into a series of surreal, body-swapping journeys through history and other people's lives.

Shot, Reborn as Others

Instead of death, Zits awakens in the body of Hank Storm, a white FBI agent in 1970s Idaho, embroiled in a violent standoff between Native activists and corrupt lawmen. He's forced to participate in the torture and murder of a young Indian man, Junior, and is sickened by the casual brutality of his partner, Art. Zits experiences the moral confusion and self-justification of men who do evil in the name of "good." Each time he's overwhelmed by violence or pain, he's yanked into another life, forced to see the world through new eyes.

FBI Agent on the Rez

As Hank, Zits witnesses the betrayal of Native activists by their own leaders and the FBI. He's complicit in murder, forced to shoot a corpse to "share the guilt." He sees how cycles of violence and revenge corrupt everyone, and how even those who love can do terrible things. Art, his partner, is both a friend and a killer, weeping over his actions but insisting they're "necessary." Zits is horrified by the blurred lines between good and evil, and the way love and violence coexist.

Betrayal and Bloodshed

Zits is next transported to the body of a mute Indian boy at the Battle of Little Bighorn. He experiences the pride and love of a real family, only to witness the slaughter of Custer's soldiers and the subsequent desecration of their bodies by the victorious Indians. He's handed a knife and urged to take revenge on a captured white boy, but is paralyzed by the cycle of violence. He sees that both sides are capable of cruelty, and that revenge only breeds more suffering.

Indian Camp, Lost Voice

As the mute boy, Zits is embraced by a loving father and a vibrant community. For a moment, he feels the happiness and acceptance he's always craved. But he knows this world is doomed—disease, war, and colonization will destroy it. The joy is fleeting, and he's soon thrust back into violence and loss, unable to speak or change the course of history.

Custer's Last Stand Reversed

Zits witnesses the famous battle from the Indian perspective, seeing the justified rage of the warriors but also the horror of their vengeance. He's forced to confront the humanity of the enemy—children, mothers, and young soldiers who just want to live. The lines between victim and perpetrator blur, and Zits is left questioning the meaning of justice and the futility of revenge.

Revenge and Mercy Collide

Zits next inhabits Gus, an old Irish tracker leading U.S. soldiers to an Indian camp for retribution. Despite his intentions to mislead the soldiers, Gus's grief and rage drive him to the massacre. Amid the chaos, a young white soldier—Small Saint—rescues a Native boy, Bow Boy, refusing to participate in the slaughter. Zits, as Gus, helps them escape, risking his life to protect innocence. He sees that mercy is possible, even in the midst of horror.

The Tracker's Dilemma

Wounded and exhausted, Zits (as Gus) struggles to keep up with Small Saint and Bow Boy as they flee the pursuing soldiers. He's forced to confront his own limitations and the cost of violence, ultimately sacrificing himself to buy time for the boys' escape. The experience teaches Zits about courage, selflessness, and the possibility of redemption.

Small Saint, Bow Boy

The bond between Small Saint and Bow Boy becomes a symbol of hope—a white soldier saving a Native child, defying the logic of war and revenge. Zits sees that even in the darkest times, individuals can choose compassion over hatred. The act of saving, rather than killing, becomes the true act of heroism.

Flight Lessons and Crashes

Zits is next reborn as Jimmy, a white flight instructor whose best friend, Abbad, is an Ethiopian immigrant. Jimmy teaches Abbad to fly, only to be devastated when Abbad later hijacks a plane and crashes it into a city, killing dozens. Jimmy's marriage collapses, and he's consumed by guilt and betrayal. He realizes that trust can be dangerous, and that even good intentions can have tragic consequences.

Jimmy's Betrayal, Abbad's Fall

Jimmy's affair with Helda, his wife's heartbreak, and Abbad's act of terror all converge in a storm of loss and regret. Jimmy is left alone, his life in ruins, haunted by the knowledge that he enabled a killer. He flies his plane out over the water, contemplating suicide, and is forced to confront the limits of forgiveness and the complexity of human relationships.

Homeless Father, Broken Son

Zits awakens in the body of a homeless, alcoholic Indian man—his own estranged father. He's forced to experience the pain, shame, and self-loathing that drove his father to abandon him. He sees the generational trauma that shaped both their lives, and the way cycles of abuse and neglect perpetuate themselves. Zits confronts his father's memories, reliving the moment of his own birth and his father's decision to run away.

Facing the Mirror of Shame

Inhabiting his father, Zits is forced to see the world through the eyes of a man broken by his own father's cruelty. He realizes that his father's abandonment was not a simple act of malice, but the result of deep wounds and learned helplessness. Zits is filled with both rage and compassion, understanding at last the complexity of his father's failure.

The Choice Not to Kill

Zits returns to his own body, standing in the bank with guns in his coat. He sees the people around him—the mother and child, the strangers—and recognizes their shared humanity. Instead of committing violence, he chooses to walk away, surrendering his weapons to the police. He seeks help, admitting his pain and asking for a chance to change.

Surrender and Second Chances

Zits is taken into custody, interrogated, and eventually placed in a new foster home with Officer Dave's brother and his wife, Mary. For the first time, he's offered genuine care, structure, and the possibility of permanence. Mary helps him care for his skin, and Zits—now ready to reclaim his real name, Michael—begins to hope for a future. He's still scared, still scarred, but he's learning that healing is possible, and that he can choose not to repeat the cycles of violence and abandonment that shaped him.

Characters

Zits (Michael)

Zits is a fifteen-year-old half-Native, half-Irish boy whose life has been defined by abandonment, abuse, and alienation. Orphaned young, shuffled through foster homes, he's angry, self-destructive, and convinced he's unlovable. Zits is both deeply sensitive and numb, using humor and violence to shield himself from pain. His journey through other people's lives forces him to confront the roots of his own suffering and the consequences of violence. By the end, Zits begins to accept the possibility of healing and connection, reclaiming his real name, Michael, and daring to hope for a family.

Justice

Justice is a brilliant, enigmatic white teenager who befriends Zits in juvie. He's a radical, a provocateur, and a master of rhetoric, channeling Zits' anger into a plan for violent revolution. Justice's philosophy is seductive but ultimately hollow, rooted in vengeance rather than healing. He represents the danger of ideology divorced from empathy, and his influence nearly leads Zits to commit mass murder. Justice disappears as mysteriously as he arrived, leaving Zits to grapple with the aftermath of his choices.

Officer Dave

Officer Dave is a white cop who repeatedly arrests Zits but treats him with unusual kindness and respect. He recognizes Zits' pain and tries to offer guidance, seeing himself in the troubled boy. Dave is haunted by his own failures to save others, particularly two abused children he couldn't rescue in time. His compassion and vulnerability make him a rare adult ally for Zits, and his family ultimately offers Zits a chance at stability and love.

Hank Storm

Hank is a white FBI agent in the 1970s whose body Zits inhabits. Hank is both a loving family man and a participant in violence and corruption on the reservation. His partnership with Art reveals the ways in which good intentions can be twisted by loyalty, fear, and the logic of war. Hank's internal conflict mirrors Zits' own struggle to reconcile love and violence.

Art

Art is Hank's FBI partner, a man who loves deeply but is capable of shocking brutality. He justifies his actions as "necessary" in the fight against evil, but is haunted by guilt and grief. Art's tears and tenderness coexist with his capacity for murder, illustrating the complexity of human morality and the dangers of dehumanizing others.

Small Saint

A young white soldier who, during a massacre, chooses to save a Native boy (Bow Boy) rather than participate in the violence. Small Saint's courage and empathy stand in stark contrast to the surrounding brutality, offering a glimpse of hope and the possibility of moral choice even in the worst circumstances.

Bow Boy

A five-year-old Native boy rescued by Small Saint during a massacre. Bow Boy's survival represents the possibility of breaking cycles of violence and the importance of protecting the vulnerable. His bond with Small Saint is a rare moment of cross-cultural compassion.

Jimmy

A white flight instructor whose life unravels after his best friend, Abbad, uses the skills Jimmy taught him to commit an act of terror. Jimmy's guilt, failed marriage, and sense of betrayal force him to confront the limits of trust and the unintended consequences of good intentions. His story parallels Zits' own struggle with responsibility and forgiveness.

Abbad

An Ethiopian immigrant and Jimmy's best friend, Abbad is both a victim of racism and a perpetrator of violence. His act of terror devastates Jimmy and shatters the illusion of safety and understanding. Abbad's story complicates notions of good and evil, showing how pain and alienation can lead to destruction.

Mary

Mary is the wife of Zits' new foster father, Robert. She offers Zits genuine care, structure, and hope, helping him care for his skin and, symbolically, his wounded self. Mary's promises and follow-through begin to restore Zits' trust in adults and the possibility of family.

Plot Devices

Body-Swapping Time Travel

The novel's central device is Zits' surreal journey through the bodies and lives of others—FBI agents, Indian warriors, soldiers, pilots, and his own father. Each transformation forces Zits to experience the world from radically different perspectives, confronting the consequences of violence, betrayal, and compassion. This device literalizes the process of empathy, making Zits (and the reader) feel the pain and complexity of others' lives.

Cycles of Violence and Revenge

Throughout his journeys, Zits witnesses the endless cycles of violence—personal, historical, and generational. Whether in the Indian Wars, the FBI's war on activists, or modern terrorism, the logic of revenge perpetuates suffering. The novel uses these cycles to question the possibility of justice and the meaning of forgiveness.

Foreshadowing and Recursion

The narrative is structured with echoes and parallels—Zits' own abandonment mirrors his father's, the violence he contemplates is reflected in the violence he witnesses. The bank scene, which opens and closes the novel, serves as a fulcrum, with Zits' choice not to kill marking a break in the cycle.

Unreliable Narration and Surrealism

Zits' experiences are often dreamlike, with time and identity fluid. This unreliability reflects the disorientation of trauma and the difficulty of distinguishing between reality and fantasy when one is deeply wounded. The surreal elements force the reader to question what is "real" and focus instead on emotional truth.

Analysis

Sherman Alexie's Flight is a raw, inventive exploration of violence, trauma, and the possibility of redemption. Through the device of body-swapping time travel, the novel forces both its protagonist and readers to confront the complexity of human suffering and the seductive logic of revenge. Zits' journey is a meditation on empathy: by living the lives of others—perpetrators and victims, heroes and betrayers—he learns that violence is never simple, and that cycles of pain can only be broken by acts of compassion and self-awareness. The novel is unflinching in its depiction of abuse, racism, and historical injustice, but it refuses easy answers or moral binaries. Instead, it insists on the messy, difficult work of healing—acknowledging pain, accepting responsibility, and daring to hope for connection. In the end, Flight is a story about the power of choice: the choice not to kill, the choice to seek help, and the choice to believe that even the most broken among us can be loved and redeemed.

Last updated: May 25, 2025