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Diary Of A Part Time Indian Essay

1571 Words7 Pages

Reputation and self-image are crucial in an individual’s life. A person's external expectations of you are what they expect you to do and who they expect you to be. Your internal expectations are goals and standards you set up for yourself. The way others view you can affect the way you view yourself which might cause a shift in your life. In some cases, especially in the novels The Diary of a Part Time Indian, The Whale Rider and Like Water for Chocolate , internal and external expectations shape the characters lives by affecting the way they think about themselves and the choices they make. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie centers around Arnold Spirit Junior and his life. Besides growing up as a poor …show more content…

From the moment she is born, her grandfather disapproves of her. When Kahu was born, Koro Apirana, Kahu’s grandfather wants “nothing to do with her. She has broken the male line of descent in our tribe”(13). From her birth and forward, her grandfather creates an external problem for her. Growing up, Kahu wanted nothing but Koro’s affection. Although she was loved by the rest of her family, Koro Apirana didn't feel the same. Koro was perhaps preoccupied with more serious chief related problems, but nevertheless found Kahu useless, and so he treated her as if she were an unwanted puppy. This entirely changes towards the end of the book, when Kahu saves the whales. Kahu takes a powerful position and huge risk when agreeing to help the whales find their way back to the sea, which completely shocked everyone. This changed the way Koro viewed Kahu because it made him begin “to say a prayer, and asked the Gods to forgive him”(148). This is significant in Kahus life because for the first time, Koro accepts the fact he was wrong all that time and treats Kahu with more respect. His view of Kahu completely shifts. Through the entire novel, all Kahu wanted was her great-grandfather's love. At the end, she was finally able to retrieve that because he no longer felt a grudge on her for breaking their male

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