ipl-logo

The Absolutely True Diary Of A Part-Time Indian

1297 Words6 Pages

In society, people judge each other with stereotypes based on their looks, religion, and their way of life. People who show compassion to others help them understand that being different is something special and nothing to hide from. In The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie, Native Americans are stereotyped as not successful and poor, but Junior determines that he is special and worth knowing, unlike other Native Americans. Without the courage from Mr.P, Junior would end up like his sister, Mary, doing nothing in life but staying in the basement all day. Junior’s parents support his decision with transferring schools, but Rowdy, his best friend, believes he is making the wrong choice by leaving the rez, so he turns …show more content…

Transfering schools was a big and wise decision for Junior, but he knew that if he stayed at Willprint he was going to start giving up on himself just like Mr. P said. The people on his reservation did not quite believe he was making the right decision and believed he was a traitor. In fact, his best friend Rowdy, punched him in the face while Junior was trying to convince him that he had made the right choice. Native Americans do not usually succeed in life such as white people but “[he][has] to prove that[he][was]stronger than everybody else”(Alexie 186). Junior knowing that fact that he will be judged and bullied at Reardan, made him come to realize that he has been bullied throughout his life and he will be able to manage to go to the school. Furthermore, Junior wants to prove that he is the opposite of the Native American stereotypes and even though he is Native American, he can still be successful just like white people. When Junior was playing against his reservation at a basketball game, he was determined to try the hardest that he has ever done because Junior wants to prove that it is not only Native Americans that can work hard and do there best His first few days of Reardan might have not been what he expected, but he never gave up, giving the school a chance to get better. Junior was able to find new friends, earn respect, and find …show more content…

He has come to terms with his identity, bravery, and success. Junior could not figure out what his identity was while he was living on the reservation, but he wanted to fix this by changing his way of life which ultimately proves that he is a survivor. Throughout Juniors years in the reservation, he has felt hopeless and trapped by his culture and race resulting in Junior not being able to fully understand his identity. Junior has been through many difficult situations such as making the decision with transferring schools, but he knew that these situations he is going through will only make himself stronger. Junior has accomplished many wonderful things in Reardan such as his school work and basketball, which will lead him to great success in the future. Furthermore, Junior has slowly become a survivor by learning from all his mistakes and stories written down in his diary. For one thing, Junior has broken the Native American stereotypes cycle such as poor, uneducated, dumb, none successful, and continuing. On the other hand, Junior proved that he is the opposite of those things and is instead smart, talented, brave, successful, and continuing. Comparing Junior from the beginning of the novel to the ending, he has changed from this weak and scared boy to a strong and powerless person who never gave up on

Show More
Related
1058 Words | 5 Pages

In the beginning of the book, Junior says that living on the reservation has generations of Indians losing hope. They accept their lives as their ancestors did.. His parents couldn't follow their dreams because they didn't have a support system. Junior is the example of how one can break the path of the traditional life on the reservation if one has the motivation and a good support system. Junior  had the love and emotional support of his parents and was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to attend a prestigious  Prep school based on the suggestion of Mr. P, a teacher at the rez school.

Read More
2058 Words | 9 Pages

Following up to Mr.P, Junior goes to the rich white school. Consequently, it is not easy for Junior because there are no first nations at this school. Both of his parents have enough problems to deal with already and Junior cannot find his parents so he turns to his grandmother for advice. His grandmother has a lot of wisdom to share with others. In this case, her grandmother gives him insight of how to fit in and to get more friends.

Read More
218 Words | 1 Pages

You threw that book in my face because somewhere inside you refuse to give up.” Those were Mr.P’s words to Junior, and afterwards is when Junior decided to go to Rearden. That is the main reason Junior took action and decided not to be just like everyone else in the reservation. Junior was very persistent at doing what he wanted to. Although Junior got treated poorly before going to Rearden it got worst when

Read More
694 Words | 3 Pages

Thesis: Junior’s story is a powerful one with trials and tribulations that many of us can relate to; the author Sherman Alexie is able to capture these dynamics of teenage life by using raw and relatable dialogue. In this review, I will summarize the story, review the issues Junior faces, go over the strengths and weaknesses of the writing, and lastly share my opinion of the book. Writer Sherman Alexie starts the book by introducing us to Junior, a Native American teen living on the Spokane Indian Reservation. When Junior was born, he had too much cerebrospinal fluid, giving him many physical problems, along with brain damage.

Read More
1121 Words | 5 Pages

In his book the Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Sherman Alexie portrays a teenage boy, Arnold Spirit (junior) living in white man’s world, and he must struggle to overcome racism and stereotypes if he must achieve his dreams. In the book, Junior faces a myriad of misfortunes at his former school in ‘the rez’ (reservation), which occurs as he struggles to escape from racial and stereotypical expectations about Indians. For Junior he must weigh between accepting what is expected of him as an Indian or fight against those forces and proof his peers and teachers wrong. Therefore, from the time Junior is in school at reservation up to the time he decides to attend a neighboring school in Rearden, we see a teenager who is facing tough consequences for attempting to go against the racial stereotypes.

Read More
227 Words | 1 Pages

He would be the only Indian at an all white school. Junior’s chance of success is unlikely if he remains on the reservation, so for him, going to Reardan, “seemed as real as saying, ‘I want

Read More
696 Words | 3 Pages

The new school gives Junior a bunch of new opportunities, he ends up making new friends and meets a girl. Junior deals with noticeable struggles throughout the book, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian, that includes depression, low self-esteem, and bullying; he builds resilience to these struggles through his drawings, words, and actions. Junior’s mental health started at a young age. He would get bullied by kids and adults on the reservation. Junior has Rowdy, his best friend who helps him through the bullying that he goes through.

Read More
563 Words | 3 Pages

In the novel, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie there are many themes and major flaws in society that get pointed out. One major theme explored by Alexie, is standing up for your beliefs and to make things change no matter how hard that may be. The Character Junior (Also called Arnold) is a character that truly expresses this theme and is able to blossom through the ideas behind this theme. In the book Junior not only goes to a new and better school but, he also leaves the reservation and even takes on the reservation sports teams in order to follow his dreams and do what he finds right. The first way Junior is able to stand up for his ideas and change his world for the better is by moving to a new school.

Read More
314 Words | 2 Pages

Sherman Alexie’s novel, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part time Indian begins with the narrator, Junior, describing himself as a 14-year-old Native American boy who has been taunted with racist slurs, poverty and hard times throughout his life, causing him to struggle with self-identity. He then walks through each stage of his life, starting with how he struggled with poverty and ending with his teacher, Mr. P, advising him to leave the Rez, since it has nothing to offer. This leads to Junior being torn between two different worlds, The Rez and Reardan. The Rez is Junior’s home; it’s a rough place to live. Most Indians that live there are poor, and to them, fighting is a way of life.

Read More
1229 Words | 5 Pages

If everyone is the same, who are you going to learn from? In the Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, most of the book is focused on Junior’s struggles. You see how he benefits from going to Reardan, but not how anyone else does. When Junior joins the all white school, it helps teach the students to let go of some of the stereotypes they had been brought up with. They all stayed away from the “creepy, violent, Indian kid” at first.

Read More
723 Words | 3 Pages

In the book, the main character named Junior makes a sacrifice of leaving his reservation to adapt to a new environment. He lives on a reservation where the majority of the people are depressed and are facing extreme poverty; there is no opportunity for success if Junior continues to live his life on his reservation. Hence, he leaves his high school and joins Reardan High School. He faces many problems because of his race; there is no one who is Indian except the mascot. He is bullied, teased, and harassed because he is different than everyone else.

Read More
735 Words | 3 Pages

Junior loses a lot of friends and family at the young age of fourteen. He gets bullied because he was born with too much cerebral spinal fluid inside his skull, but he has his best friend Rowdy there to help him. Junior realizes that he needs to leave the reservation to get a better life for himself. He goes to a new school off the

Read More
1813 Words | 8 Pages

is a young cartoonist and the main protagonist of the novel. He is a 14-year-old Spokane Indian who decides to go to a white high school in Reardan, Washington in order to have better experiences in his life. His cartoons help him make sense of the world around him on and off the reservation. They also help him to cope with the deaths of friends and family members. Junior is intellectual in school despite his disabilities.

Read More
799 Words | 4 Pages

Like Collective Continuance, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian taps into communal and cultural reconciliation, but also looks into the personal side of reconciliation. Junior was faced with many hardships, growing up on a Spokane Indian reservation, hydrocephalus, and poverty to name a few. Poverty had a significant impact on Junior and his desire to leave the reservation and go to an all-white high school. Going to an all-white high school would give him a lot more opportunities than staying on the reservation, as "Poverty doesn’t give you strength or teach you lessons about perseverance. No, poverty only teaches you how to be poor. "

Read More
761 Words | 4 Pages

Mr. P advises Junior to have perseverance so, he should never give up on his hope of becoming better. Mr. P believes hope leads to greater things, a better future. Therefore, he wants Junior to have hope and leave the reservation for the greater thing, a better future. Another example is Junior's experience at Reardan. For instance, while Roger is making inappropriate comments, Junior decides to defend Indians, black people, and buffalo, so “he punched Roger in the face”(Alexie 65).

Read More

More about The Absolutely True Diary Of A Part-Time Indian

Related Topics

Open Document