In the end, the characters who decided to go against the normal, such as Junior and Mary, created a different fate. Mary rebelled against her family and friends to change her life for the good. Even though it ended in a horrible travesty, the time she did spend pursuing her dreams of writing, and spending time in Montana made her happy. Before she died, her life became something more than what it had been in the past. Junior had been called a traitor, and he had been booed at, but in the end it was all worth it. He had created new friendships and had repaired an old one. When he first arrived at Reardan, people called Junior many racist names. Eventually, Junior had gained the respect of teachers, students, and even of people on the reservation.