Part-Time Indian Social Class

The novel The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie relies heavily on its elaborate descriptions of social class as well as class issues to construct the story’s plot, portray the novel’s characters and illustrate various themes throughout the story.

Firstly, social class plays an important role in constructing and developing the story’s plot. Arnold, the protagonist, initially admits that he and his family live in constant poverty; he occasionally misses a meal or two and often resorts to hitchhiking for transportation. Furthermore, Arnold mentions that nobody left the reservation, which leads Arnold to believe that he is doomed to spend the rest of his life on the reservation where poverty, death and alcohol are prominent. Similar to other families living on the Spokane reservation, Arnold’s unfortunate situation stimulates his desire to succeed in the outside world but also devastates him with countless booze-related family deaths. Anxious to escape the reservation’s endless cycle of death,

Arnold, for instance, matures in courage as well as determination due to his will to escape his supposedly doomed fate on the reservation. It is unfortunate that Arnold’s parents, who are somewhat heavy drinkers, have already given up on their childhood aspirations. In addition, Arnold’s sister, Mary, is intellectual and has spent much time writing her own romance novels. However, Mary does not go to college nor find a job; instead, she she moves to Montana with her new husband whom she had met at a casino. In fact, Mr. P, who later lectures Arnold, shows disapproval of Mary’s actions and subsequently explains that Mary has essentially given up on her dreams. Likewise, Mr. P later encourages Arnold to leave the reservation as Mr. P deduces that Arnold has yet to give up on his dreams. The adverse social circumstances in this book ultimately lead to unique and realistic