The Absolutely True Diary Of A Part-Time Indian

Alyssa Hansraj

Mr. Rodriguez

Academic Literature

21 April 2023

Individual vs. Community in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

It is said that it takes a village to raise a child. In the young adult fiction novel, The Absolutely

True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Sherman Alexie brings a new perspective to this saying by following the story of 14-year-old Junior who had lived on the Spokane Indian Reservation.

However he had left for new opportunities at Rearden; the so-called privileged school where the white kids had gone, causing him to leave his village and grow on his own at a young and impressionable age. Given Junior’s physical traits and where he came from, he faces difficulties at Spokane high school and Rearden. This influenced

Sherman Alexie expresses the theme of individual vs. community in his book by illustrating multiple situations where Junior makes changes to himself depending on where he will go in life with regard to himself, his family, and his friends.

At the beginning of the book Junior realizes that he has to make a life-changing decision after a profound conversation with his teacher Mr. P. In the book, it says, “You'll be the first one to ever leave the rez this way," Mom said. "The Indians around here are going to be angry with you." Shoot, I figure that my fellow tribal members are going to torture me” (Alexie 47). This quote shows Junior's first big decision where he begins to change his life and lead his own path by choosing to go to Reardan, he knows the consequences of the accusation of betraying the rez, however, he still chooses to go forward for himself even if it came with hardships. Alexie

Hansraj 2 captured the theme here by presenting how Rez is hindering Junior, making him feel like he can't leave and search for his hope. Another way the Rez can be seen as hindering Junior is at the basketball game, in the quote “And as I ran onto the court, somebody in the crowd threw

Alexie is also showing how now there has been a twist and Rearden is seen as more of a community than the Rez, because of basketball Junior is more accepted and praised at Rearden but at the Rez, it is always seen as Junior betraying them, and left them in the dirt even though when Junior was at the Rez and at Wellpoint, they had bullied him and act like he wasn't needed.

One of the most predominant examples of how Junior’s home life influenced him was the way he treated others and how they treated him. In the beginning, when Junior was at Spokane he had Rowdy; his best friend, who would fight his battles leading Junior not to become his best self because he was protected. Now that Junior had started his new life at his new school he was scared and frankly just unprepared for what he was about to endure because he really hadn't known what to expect. Everything changes in the quote, “I felt brave all of a sudden. Yeah, maybe it was just a stupid and immature school yard fight. Or maybe it was the most important moment of my life. Maybe I was telling the world that I was no longer a human target.”(Alexie pg 65) After punching Roger Junior is declaring his new self in regards to not needing