Native American Indian Analysis

In the late 1800 's into the 1900 's and beyond Native American Indians, fought in pursuit of protecting their land. However, years passed and Native Americans were stripped away from their homes and forced to be in reservation camps where many face problems related to health, poverty and alcoholism. The reservations served as a way to segregate Native Americans and today, there are approximately 560 federally recognized Native American Tribes in the United States. (Rose,”The history of Native American Indians”) The Absolute True Diary of A Part-Time Indian written by Sherman Alexie, tells the story of Arnold, a Native American teenage boy who struggles with life and takes it day by day. In the book death is often interpreted as a time to

When death occurs everyone is heartbroken and they try to give their condolences to the affected family. In The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian Arnold states, “When it comes to death we know that laughter and tears are pretty much the same. We said goodbye to my grandmother… Each funeral was a funeral for all of us. We lived and died together”. (pg.166) Tears and laughter are strong emotions when something unexpected happens in our lives. Tears of sorrow focuses on the pain and it is very important to cry in order to feel better but at one point it has to stop. Laughter gives the reservation the opportunity to seek a “solution” to their problems and accept their loss.When he says “Each funeral was a funeral for all of us” he wants to express the importance in that phrase by explaining that even in the worst times his tribe will always be with him, supporting him and his reservation feels solidarity and respect towards Arnold. Arnold feels like losing a loved one is part of his identity as a Native American. Everyone in his reservations gets together in times like this because they all face similar struggles in life. By showing up for each other we can see the unity in his reservation and the respect they have for each

He reveals his emotions by stating, “ I knew that staying on the Rez would have killed me, too. It all made me cry for my sister...I was also crying for my tribe. Fifteen or more spokane 's would die during the next year.”(pg.216) Throughout the whole book Arnold’s tone is sarcastic and humorous but when he expresses how he feels towards death and his tribe we can feel the pain he is feeling. He is a fourteen year old boy that has faced so much death and trauma in his life. He has realized growing up that Native Americans lives are not black and white. He is aware of all the struggles his community face compared to privileged communities and how difficult it is to escape the cycle that leads to a senseless