The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian Essay

Throughout the story, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie, Junior goes through many ups and downs. This story is about how Junior, an indian from the Spokane reservation, decides to go to Rearden, the school for non-indians because of how run-down his school is and has trouble fitting in. Some of the ways Junior dealt with those downs include his uncanny sense of humor, his love for his friends, and the want to fit in and prove he’s just as good as everyone else at his new school.

Although we never fully discover the humanness of Arnold, one thing is for sure, “He invites fear rather than attraction when he claims to know things about her family and neighbors that he couldn’t possibly know.”(SparkNotes Editors)

“It is a duty to extinguish the Indian title to all lands.” Mr. Jackson says Indians will become better, possibly civilized people by removing them from their home lands. No one has more of a,”friendly feeling,” towards them than him. Becoming a “happy, prosperous,” person does not come when you remove people from their home lands.

His parents, sister, friends and neighbors have given up changing the environment they live in. Most of them think themselves as Indians, reservation is becoming the cage for Aboriginal people. They live inside the cage and they are going to be forgot and isolated. Consequently, they are the group that being marginalized by the U.S society. The name the family given to the protagonist also given their expectation.

And he is right. Nobody would miss me if I was gone.” (Sherman Alexie 32). Arnold has paid his best friend for leaving Indian reservation. On the other hand, it can be seen that Arnold has made up his mind to leave the reservation. It is clearly shows that Arnold has endured poverty so much. For the Mexicans, the blocks before migrant America are much more difficult than they expected.

The reservations were created for in order to “restore their sovereignty, preserve their culture, and grant them a better chance at equal opportunity” (Hg.org). These intents are valid, but, they have been defeated by a lot of social and economic challenges. Some of these problems include high rates of unemployment, infant mortality, school drop-outs, suicide, alcoholism, drug abuse, and poverty. Native Americans poverty, school drop-out, and unemployment rates are a lot higher than the national average (Krogstad). Subsequently, a lot of household heads leave the reservations in search for better economic opportunities (“Living Conditions”). The loss of tribe members also means the loss of family, social, community, and even emotional support. It is ironic and unfortunate that in trying to make up for the years of mistreatment of Indian Americans, the natives have been exposed to more ills, substandard living conditions, and unequal opportunities. The segregation of Indian Americans has only led to their discrimination and neglect by the American government and in order to reverse this trend, Indian Americans on reservations should be integrated into American society; this assimilation would enable Indian Americans to have the advantage of better and proper societal and economic

The main characters in both of the works are Native Americans living on reservations. Arnold is a 14-year old Spokane Indian who the reader gets to know in his absolutely true diary of a part-time Indian. He considers himself only part-time because in the novel he decides to transfer to the

The gatherings of people in this article are the person who needs to think about Indian reservation. The creator's motivation is to illuminate to the crowd about how they are living on a blend of sporadic paychecks, dread, and trust and government surplus sustenance. The writer clarified his focuses well in the article and his tone was aware in light of the fact that he made an effort not to annoy the gathering of the general population who are as yet living on the reservation.

Throughout the book Arnold encounters many discouraging situations but remains positive. In the book, one of the most sad moments is when Christmas comes around for him and his family. Having been in poverty for many years, his family can never afford presents so his dad spends whatever money they have on alcohol. “Hey, Dad,” I said. “Hey, kid,” he said.

According to 2010 US Census projections, 22% of our nation’s 5.2 million Native Americans live on reservations or tribal land. This may not seem to be an alarming statistic to most people. However, upon further examination of the living conditions, education, and life-altering effects that go along with living on an Indian reservation, this statistic may appear slightly more alarming. The effects of growing up on a reservation is a commonly overlooked topic that many don’t give a second glance. Unfortunately, there are issues that should be seen by the common person and with the knowledge of these issues, can possibly alter a person outlook on reservations in the US. In the novel, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie, the author sheds light on the darkness of growing up on a reservation by telling a semi-auto biographical story about a teen struggling with dissimilar aspirations.

Indians were supposed to move onto a reservation and die. We were supposed to disappear.” (216) helps to develop the theme because it can help the reader infer that Native Americans were often treated poorly, and their homes were not very pleasurable places to live. This passage can also help the reader to infer that Americans set the boundaries for Reservations, making them uncomfortable places to live. Through this quote, it became clear that setting had a great influence on Native American’s way of life.

Arnold’s setting influenced his decisions .Being the opposite of Macbeth, Arnold let his surroundings convey into something positive. Arnold was cursed by being born into poverty, however this did not phase him. His parents did not have any plans for him, they wanted him to live on the Rez, since his sister had left. The Rez is a community for poor indians in which most people stay their whole life. On the contrary, this was not Arnold’s plan. Arnold lets his surroundings realize what's happening, “And because you're indian you start believing you’re destined to be poor. It’s an ugly circle and there's nothing you can do about it”( Alexie 2. 53). This portrays how all Indians are meant to be poor, that is through Arnold’s eyes. Arnold uses all of his surroundings to be a motivator. After Arnold got in trouble with his teacher, he came over to talk to Arnold, “‘ Where is hope”’? I asked. “‘ Who has hope”’? “‘Son”’, Mr. P said, You’re going to find hope the farther and farther you walk away from this reservation”( Alexie 5.163- 5.168). This displays how Junior needs to get out of the Rez if he seeks a better life than a normal Indian. Therefore, that is exactly what he

Ever since the European takeover of North America, whites of European decent have seen and acted as superior humans to just about any other race standing before them. And because of this hierarchical believe, the Native American tribes conquered by the Europeans have been stuck with severe disadvantages as a result of many conflicts. In the “The Absolute True Diary of a Part Time Indian” this concept is shown on a smaller scale, but none the less shown in a straight forward form. Sherman Alexie exemplifies this idea in his novel through Junior, and the many conflicts that he faces because of a believed hierarchical system. The idea of hierarchical racism is shown early in the story when Alexie gives us an idea of just how tough Juniors life is compared to the white kids his age in the surrounding towns. The Wellpinit reservation is a very poor place with run down houses, broken roads, and poor, mentioned again to just make it clear that wealth is something that does not exist inside the reservation. Much like in Sherman Alexie’s first novel “Reservation Blues” about a group of Natives living on the Spokane reservation, the Native people living on the Wellpint

The “main jock” Roger, comes up to Arnold in front of the school and says a very racial slur about indigenous people. Arnold then punches him in the face for that comment, but that has nothing to do with this topic as of right now. But the point of this example is that, in the beginning of Arnold’s experience at Rearden, he is looked down on because of his skin color. This negative type of judgement is just another layer of sadness on the large cake of

Arnold at the time had been partaking in private education and was planning to attend Yale. Due to the decrease in family fortune, Arnold could not attend Yale as originally intended and had to learn how to take up the maternal family