Sherman Alexie Indian Equality

In today’s world, equality (or lack thereof) is evident everywhere. From the poor peasants, all the way to the billionaires, equality affects everyone. As everyone is different, it is safe to assume that people will have different definitions of equality. One of those people is Sherman Alexie. As the author of The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, his definition of equality is portrayed and can be easily identified throughout the book. Equality can easily be identified in the book by racial inequality that can be seen between Indians and white people, by the inequality caused by being in poverty on the reservation that Junior lives on, and inequality of the education system between white public schools and school on the reservation.

The cartoon on pg. 57 exemplifies just that. In the cartoon it shows how Junior compares himself to a white person, where in every comparison it shows Junior being less than the white person. This shows how Sherman Alexie defines equality by the inequality between Indians and white people as it is also evident in his life. In the CBS News article, it says,” "In high school I dated a white woman," he recalls. "She would come to visit me on the rez. And her dad, who was very racist, didn't like that at all. And he told her one time, 'You shouldn't go on the rez if you're white because Indians have a lot of anger in their heart.' Certainly I'm angry at the way Indians have been treated and continue to be treated.” This shows us that his definition of equality is clearly defined by his life experiences. One of his life experiences is portrayed in the quote. These two details show us that Sherman Alexie’s definition of equality is clearly defined by his life experiences. This also shows us that life experiences define people’s definitions of

“But Reardan has one of the best small school in the state, with a computer room and huge chemistry lab and a drama club and two basketball gyms. The kids in Reardan are the smartest and most athletic kids anywhere. They are the best,” (Alexie 46). Unquestionably this shows us that Reardan, a white school, is much better than the reservation school. This exemplifies the fact that because of race, inequality is apparent in school districts. Yet this unfairness is not only apparent in Indian reservation but also in other places such as Detroit. “And because the number of students fleeing these schools is higher than the number of students of any color enrolling, public school in the ‘burbs are now facing heavy losses in revenue and, consequently, programs,” (MLive Article). The problem that the Detroit Public Schools are facing is the same as the problem that the reservation schools are facing, because of lack of white people they are not getting enough funding. Therefore, it shows that the inequality that is in school systems is apparent not only for reservation school but also other ethnicities and races. This inequality in school districts affects people’s definition of equality, which can be seen with Rithvik Kodali whose definition of equality is heavily affected by the inequality he sees which is mostly in the school