What Is The Absolutely True Diary Of A Part Time Indian Alcoholism

Racism , Alcoholism, And Poverty

Racism, alcoholism, and poverty are common struggles people face in their lives. In the novel The Absolutely True Diary Of A Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie, a young boy named Arnold takes readers throughout his life. Arnold struggles with racism, alcoholism, and poverty on a day-to-day basis, while also battling with birth issues. With all of this, Arnold moves schools and struggles to fit in with white people and also Indians. In Sherman Alexie's novel, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian, Racism, alcoholism, and poverty are shown through characterization, conflicts, and symbolization. In the novel, Arnold struggles with racism among his peers at Reardon. “And then Roger told me a joke involving

This resulted in Arnold punching Roger in the face. His joke just showed how uneducated and racist the kids at Reardon were. Roger making a joke also indicated that it was normal behavior at that school because of how easily he made the joke. “‘We were supposed to kill the Indian to save the child’”(Alexie 35). This is what all teachers at the reservation were told to do when becoming teachers. This shows how racist the white people on the reservation were to go and try to erase all the original culture that lived on the reservation. The white people trying to erase the Indian culture on the reservation proves the racism towards Indigenous people and how they have gotten their culture Stripped Away from them for years. “‘I'm sick of Indian guys who treat white women like bowling trophies’”(Alexie 115). This quote from Rowdy after Arnold emails him about his new love interest, shows

The use of alcohol in the novel has ruined lies and created a lot of deaths. “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”(Alexie 200). This quote is Arnold explaining the difference between white people and Indians. he found that white people don't drink Farley as much as Indians which causes most of their deaths. “‘… my grandmother had never drunk alcohol in her life. Not one drop. That’s the rarest kind of Indian in the world. I know only, like, five Indians in our whole tribe who have never drunk alcohol’”(Alexie157). This is Arnold explaining how pure his grandma was but still ended up getting killed by a drunk driver. This shows how alcohol ruins lives that aren’t even involved in the substance. an old lady was murdered because someone randomly wanted to get drunk and drive with us killing herself and damaging other people's lives. “His father is drinking hard and throwing hard punches, so Rowdy and his mother are always walking around with bruised and bloody faces”(Alexis16). This quote is Arnold explaining how Rowdy's dad is constantly drunk and abuses him and his family. Because of his abusive ways, row day is a very valiant person and builds a pathway for his future kids to be the same.