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Character Analysis: A Part Time Indian

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Becoming an adult can be a very stressful and elongated process. You go through different phases, learn the true faces of people, and realize who you are and where you belong. Finding your true self is a blessing and a curse at the same time. It is a blessing because you find out who you really are and find all your good and bad qualities. However, it is a curse because you can hurt the people you love the most in the process. In the book, A Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie, Junior realizes he has to better himself and his future, by doing that, he has to leave the reservation. Throughout his process, he hurts a lot of his loved ones. This does not only happen in books, but in real life as well. People ostracize others for leaving the community …show more content…

The definition of neglect means failed to care after. If you were to leave the community, no doubt, a loved one will feel neglect. By you leaving, they will feel like you have traded them for something better and that you will stop caring for them. For instance, in Muslim culture, the eldest son always takes care of the parents. No matter what. Their job is to get an education, get married, and to take care of their parents. My parents, being brought up with that tradition thought that their eldest would follow the same practice. Whereas my older brother had a different idea, he wanted to move to San Diego for a job opportunity. Their first reaction was anger of course, but anger soon turned into feeling neglect mostly by my mother. She had thought that her eldest would always take care of her, while my brother wanted to get away from basic traditional practices and be more Americanized. He did eventually move out and my parents did not speak to him for months, and only talked to him when he decided to move back the the Bay …show more content…

With one showing jealousy and envy, they might be resentful and discontented with your achievements and advantages. Although, you will not be successful at first with leaving the community, people will be jealous of you for your future achievements. For example, in the book when Junior was leaving to Reardan, those bullies harassed him because they knew that they would never get the opportunity to go out and attend an all white school, nor would they get the chance to become someone successful if they stayed at the reservation. While Junior did get the chance to. Something similar to Junior’s situation happened to my cousin, who got the chance of a lifetime to go study abroad at Monash University in Melbourne Australia. She could finally leave from her demanding family and become more independent. Almost every auntie was talking badly about her, saying she did not deserve to go because they were jealous that their children would not get the same opportunity and would not be as successful as

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1058 Words | 5 Pages

In the beginning of the book, Junior says that living on the reservation has generations of Indians losing hope. They accept their lives as their ancestors did.. His parents couldn't follow their dreams because they didn't have a support system. Junior is the example of how one can break the path of the traditional life on the reservation if one has the motivation and a good support system. Junior  had the love and emotional support of his parents and was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to attend a prestigious  Prep school based on the suggestion of Mr. P, a teacher at the rez school.

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804 Words | 4 Pages

Junior being born on the Reservation has always been poor and put down by others. He has had a horrible life with pain coming from a new direction each day but has coped with it that is why he is still alive today to write this book. Although he may or may not admit it, the ways he coped with his life were not great after all. When faced with a

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563 Words | 3 Pages

In “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian,” internal and external expectations shaped Junior’s life by giving him the strength to grow and give him a reason to live. Growing up in a discriminated Indian reservation, external expectations told Junior to never leave the reservation for something better. “Reservations were supposed to move onto reservations and die. We were supposed to disappear” (216). Everyone around Junior created this picture that Indians were expected to never stray from the reservation.

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1770 Words | 8 Pages

Mr. P 's second statement further emphasizes the understanding that because of the consequences that arose due to the attempt to control the Indian community made by the US mainstream population, Indians are now left with miserable, hopeless lives and their only way of finding hope is by leaving everything they know behind and seeking a new life outside their reservations. Moreover, a quote by a Native American teacher from the Rosebud Reservation states, “...there is a feeling that you have to leave the reservation to strive…” (Siegler). Not only do teachers think Indians need to leave the reservation to strive, even Indians

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1301 Words | 6 Pages

Both authors address concerns regarding large numbers of young adults that leave their tribal grounds seeking career and other life opportunities outside of the tribal reservation. However, after a short time of separation from their native culture these dominating outside influences begin to cause identity issues as the dominating force disconnects the young adults from their traditional way of life. Unfortunately, as a direct result, these young adults slowly begin adapting to these outside cultures thus leaving their old ways of life and cultural beliefs behind. In the short story “Ten Little Indians” author Alexie reflects upon this through the character who had left the reservation to attend college and then later returns to the reservation and was questioned by their elders. The character then becomes upset having to deny their like for what they was learning in order that they didn’t anger their elders (Alexie, 2003, p. 14).

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570 Words | 3 Pages

Mr. P tells Junior that “You 're going to find more and more hope the farther and farther you walk away from this sad, sad, sad reservation.” (Alexie 63). Junior’s teacher knows that in order for Junior to find hope, he must isolate himself from his miserable reservation. He knows that Junior deserves better, and has fought too hard to lose hope, therefore he must take his hope and go somewhere where other people have hope. In order to do that, Junior must separate himself from all the horrors of the sad reservation by leaving.

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692 Words | 3 Pages

“True adulthood occurs the moment we grasp that the people who raised us do not exist solely for our comfort and reassurance. From that point on, the steady stream of unconditional love and support we've expected from them all our lives has to flow both ways.”-Lynn Coady. This quote from Lynn Coady implies that true adulthood occurs when one grasps the concept that unconditional love not only has to flow to you but also from you. This is represented in coming of age stories when the protagonist flows into adulthood through the author’s choice of tone and symbols.

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Another harmful reality for Native Americans is prejudice that has resulted from stereotypes. Prejudice is an opinion you have that isn’t supported by logic or any reasoning(Oxford). In chapter 12, “Slouching Toward Thanksgiving” Junior's teacher didn’t believe what Junior was saying and said that his reservation school didn’t have good academics/science. He sarcastically said that there is good science on the

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594 Words | 3 Pages

Throughout his journeys from his poor Indian reservation to a neighboring all-white school, Arnold Spirit, the main character in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie, learns various life lesson; Junior’s experiences on and off the reservation positively impact his life and help him understand that he shouldn’t be afraid to be different, don’t lose hope or he won’t succeed, and to follow his dreams, even if others disagree. One of the life lessons Junior learned throughout his experiences was don’t be afraid to be different. In the chapter ‘Dance, Dance Dance’ Junior has to wear his Dad’s old suit to the school dance. He believed everyone would make fun of him for being different.

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735 Words | 3 Pages

“In the middle of a crazy drunk life, you have to hang on the good and sober moments tightly.” (The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie page 216) This is a quote from the book that shows how Junior learns how to appreciate the good moments in life. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie the character Junior faces problems caused by drinking. The book starts off with his family living on the Indian reservation suffering from poverty and death.

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614 Words | 3 Pages

Many people have resulted to alcohol in there lifetime. Alcohol has ruined many people's lives from the poor disations they have made while they have been intoxicated. Alcoholism is a huge theme in this book. Everyone is the rez resorts to alcohol when they have a problem. The book The Absolutely true diary of a part-time indian By Sherman Alexie is a Book about a boy named Junior.

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843 Words | 4 Pages

Even when he tries to change, and break free from his life on the reservation, the community (along with his best friend Rowdy) turns on him, calling him a traitor. So, not only is he dealing with his social life on the reservation and at

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702 Words | 3 Pages

Overcoming a challenge, not giving up, and not being afraid of change are a few themes demonstrated in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. Perhaps the most prominent theme derived from the novel is defying the odds, or in other words rising above the expectations of others. Junior Spirit exemplifies this theme throughout the entirety of the book. As Junior is an Indian, he almost expects that he will never leave the reservation, become an alcoholic, and live in poverty like the other Indians on the reservation—only if he sits around and does not endeavor to change his fate. When Junior shares the backstory of his parents, he says that his mother and father came from “poor people who came from poor people who came from poor people, all the way back to the very first poor people” (11).

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191 Words | 1 Pages

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1119 Words | 5 Pages

A great physical fight or ‘storm’ broke out after plenty of negative situations built up between the people living on the reservation, but that didn’t stop the reservation, as a whole, from continuing on from the fight, and they didn’t collapse. The reservation got together, acknowledged the deaths that had happened, so neither nor the deaths or arguments stopped the people on the reservation from getting along. In the story “Indian Education,” an excerpt having involved stereotypes visualizes the theme very well. “I walk down the aisle, valedictorian of this farm town high school, and my cap doesn 't fit because I 've grown my hair longer than it 's ever been. Later, I stand as the school-board chairman recites my awards, accomplishments, and scholarships.

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