Absolutely True Diary Of A Part Time Indian Analysis

In the novel, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part - Time Indian, a young Native American teenager named Arnold Spirit changes the minds of himself and people around him as he transcends Native American racial stereotypes. Throughout the story, Arnold influences the world around him by proving that Native Americans can find hope and succeed in a community dominated by Caucasian Americans. In the beginning of the novel, Arnold begins to see the restrictions of being a Native American on a Washington State reservation, because of this Arnold finds himself fighting the doubts and changing the minds of himself and the people around him as he pushes himself further away from a life on the reservation. Arnold begins to feel the restrictions of

Arnold doesn’t let it continue, by standing up for himself and Native Americans, changing the way he is treated and viewed a Reardon. “‘Hey, Chief,’ Roger said. ‘You want to hear a joke?’ ‘Sure,’ I said. ‘Did you know that Indians are living proof that niggers fuck buffalo?’ That was the most racist thing I’d ever heard in my life. I couldn't let them get away with that shit. I wasn't just defending myself, I was defending Indians, black people, and buffalo. So, I punched Roger in the face” (Alexie 64). Arnold’s racial differences make him a target for racism at the all-white school Reardon. Arnold knows that this is extremely insensitive and belittling only hindering his chances at Reardon, and in response, he stands up for himself. This is a big step for Arnold as he comes from doubting himself earlier in the story to having the courage to stand up for himself and Native Americans. The following quote from the novel gives example to Arnold's grandmother explaining how he has changed the power status at Reardon by punching Roger. “Yeah, but you punched the alpha dog in the face,’ she said. ‘They’re going to respect you now.’” Later on, Arnold realizes that his grandmother is correct when he is given respect from Roger the next day. “Wow, he didn't kick my ass. He was actually nice. He paid me some respect. He paid respect to Eugene and his bike” (Alexie

This claim is the product of pure ignorance and disrespect to the progress of individuals, families, and groups have made in society. A person from Princeton University named Tal Fortgang wrote an article called Checking My Privilege: Character as the basis of privilege which expresses the pure idiocy of giving race as a reason one's position in society. “It’s not a matter of white or black, male or female or any other division which we seek, but a matter of the values we pass along the legacy we leave, that perpetuates ‘privilege.’ Behind every success, large or small, there is a story, and it isn;t always told by sex or skin color” (Fortgang 2). Tal Fortgang expresses that success is not attributed to one's sex or skin color but that it's the way they live their life and how they work themselves to a aspired position, whatever it may be. Arnold, in the novel, stands up for himself and begins building a path to success, not because he is Native American but because he has the drive to do so. In Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’s song White Privilege II, an idea is developed that people need to understand their position in society and how through this they can expand beyond ignorant, and racist boundaries. “What I got for me, it is for me. What we made, we made to set us free”