The Absolutely True Diary Of A Part Time Indian Sparknotes

Sherman Alexie's Bildungsroman, "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian," delves into the sharp disparities between life on the Spokane reservation and life in Reardan. Alexie highlights the striking contrast between the two communities of the Spokane Reservation and Rearden, especially highlighting the prevalence of death on the Reservation. The high death rate on the reservation, stemming from poverty, alcoholism, and limited access to healthcare, exposes Arnold, the protagonist, to mortality at such a young age, forcing him to grapple with complex emotions and mature far too quickly. Through Arnold's journey, the novel explores themes of loss, identity, and resilience in the face of adversity, reflecting on the challenges of growing

Alcoholism is another factor contributing to the prevalence of death on reservations. Many people on the reservation turn to alcohol to cope with their challenges, which causes more problems that can lead to even worse addictions and additional health concerns. Limited access to healthcare plays a role in the health issues on the reservation. Reservations are often located in remote areas, and medical services are not always available. Alexie signifies how bad alcoholism is in the reservation by describing how three of Arnold's closest family and friends died from alcohol-related deaths. (Chapter 27 / Page 199-200) "I'm fourteen years old and I've been to forty-two funerals. That's really the biggest difference between Indians and white people. A few of my white classmates have been to a grandparent's funeral. And a few have lost an uncle or aunt. And one guy's brother died of leukemia when he was in third grade. But there's nobody who has been to more than five funerals. All my white friends can count their deaths on one hand. I can count my fingers, toes, arms, legs, eyes, ears, nose, penis, butt cheeks, and nipples, and still not get close to my deaths. And you know what the worst part is?

Car accidents, alcohol-related death, fires, and disease are some of the ways he has seen his family suffer. The main reasons for these deaths all revolve around alcohol. Arnold loses his grandmother to a drunk driver. He then loses Eugene, a family friend who has always supported Arnold, to a drunken altercation. Then he loses his sister to a house fire where she is too drunk to feel the pain of dying in a fire. (Chapter 23 / Page 158) "I mean, the thing is, plenty of Indians have died because they were drunk. And plenty of drunken Indians have killed other drunken Indians. But my grandmother had never drunk alcohol in her life. Not one drop. That's the rarest kind of Indian in the world." For Arnold to lose his grandmother after she advocated profusely against alcohol by never giving in to trying alcohol shows that the worst can happen because of alcohol, especially in the reservations where every one in ten deaths is alcohol-related. This exposure to death at a young age causes Arnold to grapple with complex emotions. Arnold feels anger, sadness, and confusion and struggles to deal with the senseless loss of life around him wherever he turns. All of Arnold's suffering causes him to struggle with depression throughout the