In life you have many choices. One of which is deciding whether or not you are going to succeed or fail in life. In other words, choosing to stay hopeful or not. In the “Absolute True Diary of a Part- Time Indian” Junior goes through many situations where hope is needed. The author Sherman Alexie puts Junior as well as other characters in situations to make those hard decisions.
The Absolutely True Diary Of A Part-Time Indian Essay "A mentor empowers a person to see a possible future, and make them believe it can be obtained”-Shaun Hithcock. Mentors and role models are important figures in society, they help people succeed in every which way they choose to endeavor. In general, a good mentor is necessary for someone who likes to dream fantasies. This is very clear with Junior in The Absolute Truth Diary Of A Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie Junior relies on the guidance of his mentors, so they can motivate him and lead him to become successful, His geometry teacher, Mr.P, helps Junior to understand the real picture of changing and taking his education at Wellpinit. In addition, to his
Regardless of these hardships, Arnold never gave up, they may have slowed him, but they did not stop him. After Arnold began attending Reardan High School, his tribe treated him even worse than they had before and they called him a traitor. Soon after, his grandmother died, followed by the death of his older sister that moved away. When this happened, the burning fire of hope inside Arnold started to die down “But I still missed my sister, and no amount of love and trust was going to make that feel better” (Pg.216). Arnold stopped attending school for a period of time.
Junior Learns Life Lessons Everyone goes through tough times in life, and you need someone there for you. In the book, Junior and Rowdy experience this several times throughout the story. The book was called The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian which was written by Sherman Alexie. The main characters in this book were Junior, Rowdy, and Rogers.
“Let us eat and drink; for to morrow we die. ”2 Paul the Apostle was quite the writer of classical quotes, as this one can be used to illustrate the constant struggle of the Native Americans living in reservations as well as the Corinthians he wrote to. Throughout their lives, Native Americans often fall prey to alcoholism and the challenges that come with it. This issue will be approached through the usage and explanation of three main arguments: Firstly, by looking at the protagonist’s family in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian3, and secondly, by considering the Spokane community as a whole in the same book, and lastly, by reflecting on the real-life situation, it is possible to paint a clear picture of alcohol’s role in Native
Have you ever tried to find and search for your identity in this crazy mixed up world? Well in this story Arnold will take one on an adventure through his crazy mixed up life. The author wrote this book to connect with teenagers all around the world through pictures, but most importantly… words. This book is about a young fourteen year old indian boy who grew up on the reservation, or “rez” for short, and he tells us what it’s like to be poor, go through losing friends,and what it’s like to get bullied. Sherman Alexie wrote this book to connect with readers young, and old.
In the book, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie, there is a theme of Arnold grappling with his racial identity. He goes to a “white” school, but he lives on a Native American reservation, so there is conflict between both races for him. Although he often voices his negative feelings about being Native American, deep down Arnold loves being Native American, because he knows it’s not the only thing that defines him, he loves the togetherness of his tribe, and his struggles as a Native American have made him stronger. Arnold knows that being Native American isn’t the only thing that determines his life.
“They call me an apple because they think I’m red on the outside and white on the inside.”(132) That is what Junior said in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. Although Junior did not change in appearance, he knows people from the reservation think he has changed and betrayed them. Junior’s appearance may not have changed, but his thoughts and beliefs have.
“In the middle of a crazy drunk life, you have to hang on the good and sober moments tightly.” (The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie page 216) This is a quote from the book that shows how Junior learns how to appreciate the good moments in life. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie the character Junior faces problems caused by drinking. The book starts off with his family living on the Indian reservation suffering from poverty and death.
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
Throughout the course of history, Native Americans have been not been treated fairly by the U.S. government. According to the documentary, Hidden America, Diane Sawyer states that the poorest population is the Indian Reservation from South Dakota named Pine Ridge. At this reservation, the majority of the Indians rely on the government for money and commodities. Commodities are the food promised by the US government after the US seized 7.3 millions acres of Lakota land. With this land, the government slayed sixteen million buffalo in just fifty years.
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. "
Overcoming a challenge, not giving up, and not being afraid of change are a few themes demonstrated in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. Perhaps the most prominent theme derived from the novel is defying the odds, or in other words rising above the expectations of others. Junior Spirit exemplifies this theme throughout the entirety of the book. As Junior is an Indian, he almost expects that he will never leave the reservation, become an alcoholic, and live in poverty like the other Indians on the reservation—only if he sits around and does not endeavor to change his fate. When Junior shares the backstory of his parents, he says that his mother and father came from “poor people who came from poor people who came from poor people, all the way back to the very first poor people” (11).
ANELISWA NALA 2015317601 ENGL1624 DUE: 28 OCTOBER 2016 The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian has one mutual theme that associates all the other themes in the novel together. In the chapter titled; “Valentine Heart,” we encompass the most prominent and most cognisant theme of them all- grief. This chapter conveys the most detectable attributes of grief that functions as both an individual and collective process of dealing with loss. Argumentatively one could say that grieving has its fair share of adversities.
There are main themes in every novel some may be obvious while some require research and analysis to find. In The Absolute True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, there are many themes such as bullying, racism, drug abuse and alcoholism. Though only a few of those apply directly to Junior, the protagonist, there is one that he is affected by more than any other. This one is isolation.
