Basketball, A Part-Time Indian

Basketball is a sport that is capable of changing one’s life. This is evident in the story, ‘The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian’ created by Sherman Alexie. The story is told through the eyes of Arnold Spirit Jr., an Indian attending Reardan, a white high school while living on the Spokane Indian reserve. Both sides do not take such a choice lightly, but this all changes when Arnold makes the Reardan varsity basketball team. With basketball, Arnold is no longer shunned for his choices. Basketball is a sport he can play freely, without the constant fear of consequences. Basketball is important to Arnold because it shows him the power of expectation, allows him to build healthy relationships and shows him the impact of support. In

Rowdy and Arnold are an inseparable pair, and one of the main reasons behind it is basketball. “Rowdy and I played one-on-one for hours. We played until dark. We played until the street lights lit up the court. [...] We didn’t keep score.” (230) On the reserve, both of them have very little friends, Rowdy is just way too tough to deal with, and Arnold is an outcast in nearly every aspect. However, they were still able to build a strong bond, with basketball being one of the many reasons. They quickly became the best of friends, and basketball built a strong friendship, which may even be stronger than their relationships with their parents. Even after all the events that occurred between the two, such as Arnold leaving the reserve, Halloween night and the basketball games against Wellpinit, basketball never fails to strengthen their bond, and brightens the flame that is their friendship. Another event in the story where basketball aids Arnold to develop friendships is at Reardan. The students of Reardan do not welcome Arnold with open arms, and it remains this way for quite some time. However, after making the basketball team, this all changed. “ “Oh, my, God!” she yelled for everybody to hear. “That suit is so beautiful [...] Even Roger, the huge dude I’d punched in the face, was suddenly my buddy.” (122). The opinions of the students before and after him making the

The power of expectation begins to show when Arnold reflects the expectations he had on the reserve and at Reardan, and preceding the rematch against Reardan, Basketball helps to build healthy relationships which are evident in Rowdy and Arnold’s friendship, and his relationship between the Reardan students. And the impact of support is evident when Arnold compares the reactions of the different schools, and how they directly affect his performance and again in the events preceding the rematch against Wellpinit. Even something as insignificant as basketball which may not seem like something impactful at first glance, it can change an individual's life