Part Time Indian

Introduction

The true diary of a part time Indian is a novel for young adults written by Sherman Alexie and illustrated by Ellen Forney, it was published in 2007 and has won several literature awards. The book tells a story of Arnold who is a hydrocephalic, a physical impairment that makes him to be picked on and bullied and which makes him vulnerable to seizures. One of the main struggles that Arnold faces in this novel is between his part-time Indian WellPoint self (Junior) and his half-white Reardan self (Arnold). On the reservation he is intimidated and picked on, while at Reardan he receives respect and chooses to be somebody. In this novel Sherman Alexie challenges stereotypical representations of ‘indianness’. In this essay I am going

’But weird me, I was born with too much grease inside my skull, and it got all thick and muddy and disgusting, and it only mucked up the works. My thinking and breathing and living engine slowed down and flooded. My brain was drowning in grease. But that makes the whole thing sound weirdo and funny, like my brain was a giant French fry, so it seems more serious and poetic and accurate to say, "I was born with water on the brain." (1.1-1.3). I discovered that even though Arnold was hydrocephalic, that didn’t stop him from achieving what lively people achieved. In chapter 20 he keeps up with Roger in the Basketball try-outs. To me Arnold’s die hard spirit, of not quitting is a major key to his survival, and this to me lays the stereotype that disabled people are prune to amount to nothing as

Drawing is treatment for Junior. He utilizes cartoons and drawing to express his internal emotions. The pictures help Junior understand himself as well as communicate how he feels to other people.

"In the same way that dreams are understood to have meanings, doodles can also indicate what is going in the subconscious...unlike words, everyone can understand pictures." (1.1-1.6).

Junior lures himself in the self-depreciating way he realizes himself. Junior practices cartoonish funniness to show his own low self-esteem. We also see Junior's depiction of himself juggling a chainsaw, a bunny rabbit, and a book: he is screaming "LOVE ME". This picture talks to Junior feeling overcome at his lack of uniqueness and low self-esteem; he wants to be seen and liked.

Conclusion

In conclusion, The true diary of a part time Indian, depicts some apparent stereotypes that people face on a daily basis. This has been proven by analysing these stereotypes; Being poor is a consequence of being stupid and being ugly and race, Having a disability can stop you from attaining your goals and by analysing a stereotypical cartoon found the first chapter of this