Jacob Sutton                                                                                                                            Theme

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

                                                                 By Sherman Alexie

 

           This weekend, I finished reading the novel The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie.  This book is mainly about a teenage boy named Arnold Spirit (aka Junior).  He is part Indian and lives on his local reservation nicknamed the “Rez”.  He is not satisfied with himself or the life he lives because his family is very poor and can barely afford anything.  Junior has physical deformities and gets bullied at his Indian school because of this.  As you can see, Junior has a hard life.  Soon he transfers schools thinking it is the best thing for him to do.  He starts school again in an all-American school.  As he starts going to this school, making friends, and feeling more sure of himself, the reader can clearly see that one of the major themes in this book is Junior’s search for his identity and the courage to be himself. 

            After Junior transfers to Reardan, the white school, basically everything starts to change for him.  He meets new friends, joins the basketball team and becomes a star, and even has a girlfriend.  It all begins when he meets Gordy.  Gordy is white, but unlike all the other white kids in the school, he wants to find out more about Indians.  Soon, Junior and Gordy become friends.  Next, he finds a girl vomiting in the girls bathroom named Penelope.  When Junior finds out that she is bulimic, he tries to comfort her and they soon become very good friends. Junior’s connection to Penelope, gives him the advantage of popularity. "Everybody is absolutely shocked that Penelope chose me to be her new best friend."  Junior begins to see his self worth and has a stronger sense of himself at Reardan.

            Since Junior left the Rez to go to a different school, his fellow Indians treat him a lot differently.  They are bullying him, and saying hurtful things about him and his friends.  Junior won’t let this continue to go on much longer.  When he gets to play for the Reardan basketball team, things get a bit better for Junior.  The team helps him get over his fear of playing against his old basketball team and they help him have courage and strength against them.  Before Juniors first game, his coach says to him “if you care about something enough, it’s going to make you cry.  But you have to use it, use your tears.  Use your pain. Use your fear. Get mad Arnold, get mad.” 

            The book The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian taught me a lot about having the courage to be yourself in the face of many obstacles.   In the beginning of the book, Junior was not able to feel comfortable being himself, however, by the end of the story, he proves himself, not only to his friends at Reardan, but to those who had bullied him throughout his life.  Junior eventually stands up to his challenges and fears and finally overcomes them.