The Absolutely True Diary Of A Part Time Indian By Sherman Alexie

Arnolds father was arrested for over drinking according to Jim Murphy, and his family name had lost much respect. So Arnold a confident, and strong man devoted his life to gain much of

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie is about how Junior, an Indian boy, set himself up for a better future. His teacher tells him that he should leave the reservation, so Junior switches to a mostly white school called Reardan. There, he trys out for the basketball team which changes his life. The books is all about how Junior gets himself on a better path and follows his dreams. As Junior tells this story there are many maxims sprinkled in. A maxim is a principle, rule, or basic truth about life. This essay is about the three maxims that spoke to me the most and how I can relate to them.

Evidently, she has begun to question herself on what is real or not. This subconsciously starts to change Arnold’s world into reality and her own as fantasy. When Arnold first appeared at the door, Connie responded with a blunt and clear-cut “Who the hell do you think you are?”; compared to now where responses muddled and unsure like “I don’t know” or “things” (Oates, 4). As the conversation progressed, she uncomfortably backed farther and farther away into the kitchen, but the space of the room also lost familiarity as interior worlds broke down (Rubin, 69). To Connie, the next few scenes have become a turning point; a point where her childlike innocence has been taken and she is left vulnerable with an emptiness. With that vulnerability, Arnold is now able to say “you’re better than them because not a one of them would have done this for you,” which creates a greater impact now than if he said it when he first appeared at Connie’s door. At this time, Connie moves toward Arnold, not because he has gotten into her thoughts but because Connie believes this is the only way to escape.

“Nothing about Arnold Friend is genuine, except his violent intentions and his skill at psychological and physical intimidation. By the story’s end, Connie understands that she is not the confident flirt she thought, but a powerless pawn in the hands of a dangerous individual.” (Cormier)

Arnold Friend or “an old fiend”, is a deceiving manipulative older male who could be your father and has his sidekick who is even older, Arnold stuffs his boots, has a picture of himself sprayed painted on the side of his car that looks like a pumpkin, who openly admits that he’s coming for you and that he stalks you, he’s essentially a sociopath who flirts by threatening you and your family. Arnold aims in on the frailty and aspirations of those around him in particular Connie's romantic fantasies, he utilizes

People often go through life without knowing what it’s like to be in another person’s shoes. Many outsiders view the United States today, as an undemanding country- with its citizens being able to have jobs and money whenever they need it and living life to it’s fullest. This is the commonly depicted idea of America, though this is not the lifestyle for many living here. Specifically, the Native American community has it the hardest currently. Native Americans have been consistently struggling with life since the Removal Act of 1830- causing mass groups of Natives to be forced onto reservation, ‘till the modern world of today- the 21 century. In the novel, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie, articles “Why Are Indian Reservations So Poor? A Look At The Bottom 1%” by John Koppisch,“The Absence of Native American Power” and “Drinking Behavior and Sources of Alcohol: Differences Between Native American and White Youths” they explain what the average Native American has to go through. Today, being Native American means to constantly struggle with poverty, alcoholism and loss of to try and get by in life.

The reader’s first impression of Arnold Friend is a regular-looking teenager with a bold attitude, lusting after Connie. He is of average height, wearing faded jeans and a white t-shirt, and is persuading Connie to get into his car with him. He is compelling

To fit into his new school, Junior decides to go to a basketball tryout, where he successfully makes the Freshman team. Now that his social status is better, Arnold has to get ready to face his old basketball team during a match, which he loses. When the second game against them comes around, he is even more determined to win, because to him it symbolises that he will never give up : “I have to prove [...] Never,ever,ever.” (page 186). He wins the match, gains back his Wellpinit friends, and makes friends at Reardan since he is now considered

In conclusion we see where a typical teenager who is always mean to her family and is also going through puberty is ripped away from her adolescence and dragged into adult world a little too early. Arnold Friend misunderstood her maturity and used it against her. Connie also took her parents for granted and that moment when she realised she needed them the most they weren't

Arnold Friend gets Connie to go with him after he tells her he will harm her family if she doesn’t comply. This story is important to read because it not only shows that these events can happen, but also to warn people and teach

The many trials that he faced helped him to grow as a person and to gain the respect of his peers and teachers. One of the major issues that Arnold faced was how to deal with racism from his fellow students. Arnold responded in the only way he knew possible, by punching it in the face, or at least by punching Roger, the boy who teased him, in the face. This caused him to gain the fear and respect of Roger who was one of the toughest boys in the school and all the other boys that were in Rogers gang. Another problem that Arnold encountered was having no friends at his new school.

At home, Connie is surrounded with the praise of her older sister while her mother is “always after” (Oates 655) Connie; enraging Connie as her mother constantly complains about her. To compensate for this feeling of annoyance, Connie enjoys to spend time with her friends especially with “older kids” (Oates 656) to get a feeling of acceptance, maturity, and respect. This foreshadows the events with Arnold Friend at Connie’s house as Arnold, an older man “thirty, maybe more” years, attempts to lure Connie away from her home with him. Connie’s desire to spend time with those older than her triggers Arnold to come to Connie’s house and forces Connie to make a very grown up decision.

Today, education majorly challenges the minorities, like Native Americans, in our country. Most Native Americans live on these poor reservations that don’t offer quality education to the kids. On a poor reservation, like the one Junior grows up on, education lacks some of the qualities found at most schools. The residents, because of their poor education, end up being stuck on the reservation in their adulthood aswell, with little possibilities for a better life. In his young adult novel The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian, Sherman Alexie gives his audience characters who react differently when given an education they feel is low quality. Alexie uses Junior, Junior’s parents, and Junior’s sister Mary to show the impact an

As a result of his change of surrounding, Junior realizes that he can define his own identity and forge his own future if he works hard at achieving his own goals and prove to his tribe that he is more than a good-for-nothing Indian. The push and pull between being Arnold of Reardan and Junior of the reservation makes Arnold/Junior feel like a part-time Indian, and he must overcome his identity crisis to accept himself as he is. He describes his internal conflict when he says: “I felt like a magician slicing myself in half, with Junior living on the north side of the Spokane River and Arnold living on the south”(61). This proves that a constant change in surroundings can lead one to be torn between two contrasting identities, which for Arnold resulted in him losing his cultural identity and having trouble figuring who he really is.

This snippet of a conversation takes place after Arnold realizes that the rez is going nowhere and has no hope. “I had to multiply the hope…’where is the most hope?’ I asked him, ‘son you are going to find more and more hope the farther and farther you go from this sad, sad place.” (Alexie 43) In the line “I had to multiply the hope” Arnold realizes that he was the only person who could jumpstart the rez. Realizing that he must switch schools not only for his own sake, but instead, for the sake of the rez. He knows that he cannot fail, since (although they may not know it,) the future of the rez depends on him.