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Part Time Indian Individual Vs Community Essay

988 Words4 Pages

Emily Mejia
Mr. Rodriguez
Academic Literacy
21 April 2023
Individual vs. Community
Something that a lot of people don’t realize is that their communities have a big impact on the decisions they make, especially when it comes to their future. When making important life decisions, the question of how their community would react always comes to mind. The fictional novel The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie is a perfect example of an individual having to choose between their own success or their community. This novel takes place on a Native American reservation, and in this novel we see the protagonist, Junior, face the problem of having to choose between his individuality and his community. Additionally, he is …show more content…

“I wept because I was the only one who was brave and crazy enough to leave the rez. I was the only one with enough arrogance,” (Alexie 217). Junior knows that he is the only Spokane Indian who was strong enough to not lose hope in his dreams, which causes him to carry a burden of guilt for being the only person to make it out of the stereotypes. Junior is under the impression that his decision of leaving the reservation is arrogant, he knows that he is bettering his life for himself but he can’t help but feel as if his tribe’s failures are his fault. “ I knew that none of them was going to college. Not one of them…I suddenly wanted to apologize to Rowdy, to all of the other Spokanes. I was suddenly ashamed of my anger, my rage, and my pain…I ran into the bathroom, into a toilet stall, and threw up. And then I wept like a baby,” (Alexie 195-96). Junior is also under the impression that he is somehow betraying his tribe by not following the same cycle as everyone else. He feels like he is no longer accepted by them and his success is now being reflected by their …show more content…

“No, if I don’t go now, I never will. I have to do it now,” (Alexie 46). Junior knows that if he doesn’t leave his reservation he is going to get stuck. He is going to keep repeating an endless cycle of lost hope and dreams. He is going to be lost in a community where being an alcoholic is normal, and stay in a place where he isn’t encouraged to, nor does he have the resources, to be his best self. “I realized that, sure, I was a Spokane Indian. I belonged to that tribe. But I also belonged to the tribe of American immigrants. Junior realizes that his tribe isn’t the only place where he could feel like he belonged to something bigger than himself. He could be accepted in other communities that would have a better impact on his individual

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