In the novel “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian”, the protagonist, Junior, undergoes many life-changing events. He has to leave the reservation he lives on, and go to a mostly white school. Over time, he makes friends and goes through different school functions, and deals with problems that arise at home, as well as school. In the end, he undergoes a lot of loss, but overall ends with a hopeful look to the future. Many of the challenges he goes through require hard work. Before these events, Junior has had it mostly easy, in the sense that he has led a consistent life. However, Junior’s personality is completely changed, as he experiences new and unforeseen aspects of life and the opportunities that can come with them. Overall, Junior settles into who he is, hopeful. …show more content…
When the curtain of the story initially rises, we meet Junior. Junior is academically smart but lacking street smarts. Yet, there is something that sets him apart: Junior has hope. There are plenty of smart individuals living on the reservation, but they don’t have the hope. They simply live in a multigenerational cycle of poverty and violence. Junior, however, does not want his future to look like this. Regardless, he lives in a place where he is constantly put down. This is so apparent, that Mr. P, Junior’s teacher, says, “‘All these kids have given up,’ he said. All your friends. All the bullies. And their mothers and fathers have given up, too. And their grandparents gave up, and their grandparents before them. And me and every other teacher here. We’re all defeated’” (Alexie 42). So many people on the reservation, surrounding Junior, have no hope. They are content living the lives they are now and are not willing to face the hard
Revelations at the Reservation The novel “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” was written by Sherman Alexie, as he depicts the struggles and challenges faced by a Spokane Indian boy, Arnold “Junior” Spirit as he travels through his first year in high school. Alexie’s adolescents inspired him to write this National Award Book winner. This novel was “banned in schools nationwide” (Alexie). “The novel was No. 2 on the American Library Association’s list of most frequently challenged books
Luc Nguyen 8 purple Humanities The Part-Time Absolute Truth In The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, a book by Sherman Alexie, a young Spokane Indian boy named Junior writes about his life. Junior's story demonstrates "absolutely true" elements through the reality of death and grief, the humanization of all characters and the style of writing, and is "part-time" in how multiple characters live double lives. Junior's story, though fictional, evokes a truth of life through the depiction
book, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie that best describes the book is when Mr. P explicitly tells Juniors that he needs to have and maintain hope, “...you kept your hope. And now, you have to take your hope and go somewhere where other people have hope” (Alexie 43). Mr. P is trying to tell Junior that he needs to be hopeful that his dream will come true, which is to become successful and go against the norm life of an Indian on the rez. After this part of the book
In Sherman Alexie’s novel, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, he chooses upon numerous themes in America’s 21st century. Alexie is an example of a great writer that brings many themes into one piece of literature. He accomplishes this by pulling in characters with different backgrounds and different views on things. He piles situations on top of each other that create multiple outcomes for the main character. Alexie makes a commentary about American society through plenty of themes
In the Sherman Alexie’s novel, The Absolutely True Diary Of A Part-Time Indian, he uses characterization on Penelope to establish the idea that people are different on the inside and have different problems and dreams that aren't shown to others that should be expressed. One day at school, Junior is walking through the hallway when he hears a girl vomiting in the bathroom. He asks if she is ok, but she angrily refuses to answer, continuing to vomit. Once she comes out of the bathroom, Junior recognizes
Never Give Up A lot of people have hope and learn to never give up. But in The Absolutely True Diary Of A Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie, a 14-year old boy named Junior lives on an Indian reservation and all anyone has taught him is to give up. Junior is determined to fight for hope, no matter what the cost is. So he leaves the reservation to go to an all-white school (Reardan High School) in the search for hope. Junior’s best friend, Rowdy, was infuriated at Junior for leaving his home just
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie talked about an Indian boy named Junior who wants to escape from being poor, having impossible dream, and feeling hopeless. The main characteristic in this book named Junior who was born on the Spokane Indian reservation. Junior’s parents weren’t unable to follow and achieve their dreams because they have not enough money. Because of living in penniless family, Junior wants to escape this situation. He wants to do something better
In the Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Sherman Alexie writes the story of Arnold Spirit, a Native American teenager. He is in a family who is not gifted with the things many Americans take for granted, such as a sustainable access to food, or a family that always cares for him. He has many negative experiences along his journey, changing to a different school and learning how to grieve with many deaths, but through all of it, stereotypes and assumptions about who he is make his life
In The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie, Grandmother Spirit teaches the entire tribe about tolerance, which is what she represents. Before Grandmother Spirit’s funeral, Junior was not treated like a member of the tribe because they thought he was a traitor for going to a white school off the reservation. The last time the tribe gathered together, at a basketball game, Junior ended up in the hospital. However, at the funeral, they put aside differences to be one community
Indians have lived and continue to live a difficult life on the reservation. In Sherman Alexie’s novel, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Indians deal with alcoholism, poverty, violence, and many other hardships. One of the main hardships on the reservation involves poverty. Oftentimes poverty has much affected the community negatively and affecting the communities’ future. For a better future and to escape poverty, Arnold transfers to Reardan. Throughout Arnold’s journey of searching
In, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Sherman Alexie discusses many serious subjects that are incredibly prevalent in modern society. The issues Alexie discuss lack emphasize in the current climate of the world and it is unacceptable to imagine that certain readers can only focus on sexual innuendos and occasional bad language in this novel. Through discussion of; un-banned books, literature that appeals to young adults, and racism, it will prove obvious why the bans around “The Absolutely
In the fictional story, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian written by Sherman Alexie, a Native American author, describes the problems of a teenager living between two different cultures; one Native American, and the other white. Alexie uses figurative language elements to convince teenagers to be aware and support people living between two worlds in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. By using these literary elements, Sherman Alexie guides the audience to respond emotionally
“The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian” tells the story of a medically and socially challenged native American teenager named Junior who transfers from his reservation high school to an affluent white high school twenty miles away from the reservation borders. The selection tells the story of Junior’s victories and losses in navigating the complex social hierarchy that is public high school. A majority of my notes revolved around finding the “deeper meaning” within the text. I needed
weren’t Indians and were often including Indian stereotypes. That was until Sherman Alexie written The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian and the realistic lives of Indian is told, which incorporates all of the Indian’s struggle to achieve their dream with no hope to have, except for 1. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is a book based on the author’s life and set in the point of view of one Indian whose name is Junior. He lives on a reservation called the Spokane Indian Reservation
Symbols may represent many things in life, including themes, social issues, and traits of a person. In The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, the main character, Arnold Spirit faces a variety of social issues. The social issues ranging from racism to alcohol abuse and addiction. These issues indirectly and directly affect Arnold, some motivate him to travel 22 miles daily for a better education and others affect his relationship with people. Poverty one of the main social issues. If the