Analysis Of 'The Absolutely True Diary Of A Part-Time Indian'

When comparing two young adult novels, one would never think that a wizard with a lightning bolt scar on his forehead and a poor Indian basketball player would have anything in common. However, this is not so as The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J. K. Rowling are alike in many aspects. One might ask why a different novel from the Harry Potter series was not used, and the answer is that the main character matures quite a deal through the novel selected and seemed better fit for comparison with Alexie’s novel. Both boys, Arnold Spirit, Jr. and Harry James Potter, encounter some form of bullying. Both must also cope with tragic deaths that have impacted the way

Arnold describes himself as belonging to the “Black-Eye-of-the-Month Club” (Alexie 4). He talks about how his stutter, lisp, and brain condition make him a target of bullying by his own reservation people, the people that should have his back. Harry faces most of his bullying issues from the Slytherin house, the archrival to the Griffindor house. Draco Malfoy, the prodigy of Slytherin and Harry’s nemesis, is constantly targeting Harry, whether it would be directly or otherwise. For example, Draco torments Harry after fainting in the presence of a dementor, literally saying, “Is it true you fainted? I mean, you actually fainted” (Rowling). Malfoy also tries his best to get Hagrid, the groundskeeper and current teacher, fired from his position. This is vital to Harry, as Hagrid is seen as a vital male role model in Harry’s

Junior, Arnold’s nickname in the novel, must learn to deal with the death of Oscar (his beloved dog), his sister, his dad’s best friend (who was another father figure to him), and his grandmother. Out of all these deaths, the one that impacted him most was his grandmother’s; she was the person he could confess anything to without feeling incompetent about his feelings. She also taught him one of life’s most important lessons – tolerance. Grandmother Spirit’s last words were “Forgive him,” referring to the drunk driver that hit her (Alexie 157). Junior is absolutely awed by this stating, “Wow. My grandmother’s last act on earth was a call for forgiveness, love, and tolerance” (Alexie 157). Harry must deal with death in a different way than Junior. To explain, his parents died protecting him when he was a baby from the evil antagonist known as Voldemort. Harry has been plagued by this his whole childhood, because he is famously known as The Boy Who Lived. This has only intensified in this novel as Harry learns of his godfather, Sirius Black, who was falsely accused of handing Harry’s parents over to Voldemort; he was punished by being sent to the wizard prison called Azkaban, hence the title of the book. Throughout the novel, however, Harry learns that Sirius was a loyal friend to his parents and realizes that Sirius is the only person closest to family he has left. It turns out Harry saves Sirius’ life by finally utilizing the