Hailey Mangarella
Mr. Rodriguez
Academic Literacy
17 April 2023
Normalization of Behaviors
Normalization of certain behaviors shapes communities and the world as a whole. In the novel, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie, the main character Junior tells about his experiences as a young Indian. Junior makes an unconventional decision to attend a white-majority school outside the Spokane reservation where he and his family reside. Moreover, there is a discussion of behaviors expected on the reservation such as extreme drinking and violence. Consequences of such behaviors can be injuries, death, and confrontations. In The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie, the author discusses the theme
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It is uncommon to try to branch out and achieve high goals. Junior mentions this commonality at the beginning of his journey, “Poverty doesn't give you strength or teach you lessons about perseverance. No, poverty teaches you how to be poor” (Alexie 13). Junior fights this by moving to a predominantly white school, his goal is to get out of the reservation. Impressively, his sister also fights this when she spontaneously decides to get married and move far away from her family. Not only is branching out uncommon it is also looked down upon. Junior was labeled as a traitor and his sister was labeled as mental. In Junior’s case, the backlash was so extreme it eventually led to Junior receiving a concussion. Never attempting to achieve high goals leads to a negative self-image and no improvement in your lifestyle. For people in difficult situations such as those living in a lower-income household, it is extremely important to hold yourself to a higher standard. Without self-accountability, you can create a circle of struggling for generations to come. In Rearden, we see more self-accountability and positive mindsets in Junior and his peers. Penelope, one of Junior’s friends and peers, expresses her life goals