The Absolutely True Diary Of A Part Time Indian Challenges

In the novel The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie the main character Junior faces many harsh challenges before he chooses to leave the rez. Some of the challenges he faces are poverty, having a disability, and bullying. He must face all of these challenges in order to be the person he is today. In the beginning of the story after we find out that Junior had hydrocephalus we also learn that he and his family are very poor. Junior asks, “Do you know the worst thing about being poor? Oh, maybe you’ve done the math in your head and you figure: Poverty=empty refrigerator + empty stomach”(Alexie 8). In the first ten pages of the book he points out that because his family was poor they sometimes didn't have enough money

In the first chapter of the book called The-Black-Eye-of-the-Month-Club Juniors says, “I was only six months old and I was supposed to croak during the surgery. And even if I somehow survived the mini Hoover, I was supposed to suffer serious brain damage during the procedure and live the rest of my life as a vegetable.” (Alexie 2). From the get go Junior’s had it rough, he was supposed to die during the surgery that was supposed to save him, and since he did somehow survive he had some other health related problems and deformities because of it. Junior says, “First of all, i ended up having forty two teeth. The typical human has thirty two, right? But i had forty two. Ten more than usual. Ten more than normal. Ten teeth past human.”(Alexie 2). That was the deformity i had mentioned before, he was born with ten extra teeth and believed he wasn't even human because of it. Junior has faced many health related problems because of his Hydrocephalus but he also faced a lot of bullying because of it as

Junior explains,“ do you know what happens to retards on the rez? We get beat up. At least once a month. Yep, I belong to the Black-Eye-of-the-Month-Club.”(Alexie 4). Junior is explaining that he gets beat up at least once a month because everyone thinks he’s a r***** and less than a normal person. At the powwow the Andruss brothers find Junior and say, “ “Hey look” one of them said. “It’s hydro head.” Yep those bastards were making fun of my brain disorder. Charming huh?.”(Alexie 21). The Andruss brothers continue to make fun of Junior and even kick him in the balls, we find out later that the Andruss brothers are actually 30 years