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The Absolutely True Diary Of A Part-Time Indian By Sherman Alexie

1278 Words6 Pages

At some point in our lives, we all experience some type of trauma. Research shows that certain groups of people are more likely to endure trauma and that may lead to substance use for certain people. In The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie, the main character, Junior, is a 14 year old boy going into high school who experiences a lot of grief and is exposed to many people using and abusing substances and having addictions. Junior is a Native American (he calls himself an Indian) who was born and raised on a reservation named Spokane in Washington State. Junior lives in poverty and because of this, his father drinks, and not only does Junior’s father drink, everyone on the reservation drinks or has an addiction to some sort of …show more content…

Junior knew that Rowdy was violent, and he knew that it was because Rowdy got beat up by his father constantly. Yet, Junior could never imagine that one day, Rowdy would beat him up. Rowdy even used to protect Junior from bullies, but now, Rowdy is the bully. This obviously was traumatic for Junior, his trust was broken, he felt betrayed, and Rowdy had been Junior’s only friend at the time, which he had just now lost. This isn’t the only trauma that Junior faces. In chapter 22 of The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Junior’s grandmother passed away. Junior and his grandma were very close to each other, so we can only assume how difficult her death was for Junior. On page 157 it states, “In fact, last week, she was walking back home from a mini powwow at the Spokane Tribal Community Center, when she was struck and killed by a drunk driver.” Junior took this death seriously. He was mad, which was normal, and was grieving heavily. Especially because his grandma didn’t die of old age, as she should’ve, she died of a drunk driver. Junior also was hurting because his grandmother had never taken a sip of alcohol, which made the

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Sometimes when you think someone has given up all hope, they might just surprise you and run; run towards their dreams and use the last glimmer of hope they had left. They surprise you with their sudden barrage of inspiration. Mary Spirit from The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie is a prime example of sudden inspiration and spontaneity however, at first this side of Mary is certainly hidden. When I was first introduced to Mary I felt that she had an intimidating and frigid attitude. Arnold states “After high school, my sister just froze.

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Throughout the book of the Absolutely true diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie the main character and narrator of the story gives us a variety of themes in his book, one of which is Identity. Starting from reading the title I found myself trying to predict what the book was going to be about all that came to me was a book about the story of an Indian men. The title itself gives an identity to the main character. Even from the first page of the book, in the fist sentence it shows you who this boy is. “I was born with water on the brain” he says.

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Junior's family in the book faces these same challenges, trying to make ends meet on the Spokane Indian Reservation such as the fact that he has to walk to reardan because his father is too drunk, the fact that they can afford to go to the vet and the fact that junior states that he goes some days without dinner. Alcoholism is another big issue in the book, and it's sadly common on reservations. Both of the junior's parents are alcoholics and most of the junior's family friends are alcoholics. This problem has its roots in the damage done by Europeans, too. When Europeans arrived, they brought alcohol with them, which wasn't part of Native American culture before.

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Throughout the novel the reader can see that Junior and Rowdy’s friendship slowly grows apart, which is what causes tensions between the two during the game. When the coach tells Junior he is guarding Rowdy that night, he says, “ I don’t think I can do this,”(188) which shows Junior’s lack of self-confidence. He starts the game and as Rowdy steals the ball, Junior chases after him. Junior says to the reader his calculations of what he needs to do in order to stop Rowdy. “I couldn’t foul him.

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It may have been difficult at first, but Junior has finally seen something different, which proves to him that not everything is the same; there is something that is unique in everyone, no matter who they may be. As a result, Junior is more comfortable in his own skin and with others; he treats them with much more respect and is more gracious. At the beginning of the novel, he may have been throwing a geometry book at a teacher, but by the end, he is voicing his own opinions and sharing his thoughts. Even though Junior has made some startling advancements, he has not changed in some regards; he can still hold a grudge like no other, and has not truly forgiven some characters in the novel. He still considers many of his white classmates to have personally brought his problems on him.

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Junior faces the harsh realities of bullying on and off the reservation, but with new-found confidence, he perseveres when faced with racial comments, physical violence, and other forms of verbal abuse. Junior moved to Reardan High School part way through the beginning of the year. When he first went to that school right before starting, Junior wanted to tell his best friend, Rowdy. Rowdy was extremely upset because he felt like his only

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“To live without hope is to cease to live” – Fyodor Dostoevsky. For the natives that live on the Spokane reservation, life seems meaningless, for they lack hope because they are surrounded by poverty, violence, and alcohol. “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” by Sherman Alexie tells of the journey that a young native boy goes through on his journey to a better life. Arnald Spirit Jr. is a 14-yr old boy entering high school when he decides to transfer to an all-white school off the rez. Alexie incorporates many themes into the story, with the biggest ones being resilience, expectations, and cultural identity.

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Faced with many obstacles from poverty to racial stereotypes, Junior must override them if he is to make his life better than that of fellow Indians. Interestingly, rather than letting the obstacles hold him back Junior understands that his destiny is in his own hands and he must celebrate who he is even if it means fighting. In the end, we see a boy who have managed to overcome all hardships to get to the top, even if it means making tough choices such as changing schools, therefore is could be seen that race and stereotypes only made Junior

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