The Absolutely True Blog Post from a Part-Time Reader
I stated in my introduction video that I am not a huge
reader, that I grew out of reading when I entered high school because of lack
of time; I also stated that my hopes for this class is to bring my love for
reading back out of the darkness. While reading this dark humorous YA novel, I
absolutely loved it and felt my love for reading creeping back. I started the
book early because of my insecurities of reading slow. I got so into the book
that I could not put it down and read it in two days (off and on of course.) Reading
a book in two days is a big deal for me, that is just how much I enjoyed it.
There are so many places in the book that made me laugh out
loud, for example on page 3, “I started wearing glasses when I was three, so I
ran around the Rez looking like a three year old Indian grandpa.” Also, on page
21, Junior says in his thoughts, “If those Andruss brothers had punched a hole
in the aquarium of my skull, I might have flooded out the entire powwow.”
When reading my last quote and thinking back to the entire beginning
of the book, Arnold’s weaknesses and disabilities are something that he laughs
about. When I see this, I think back to my high school, when individuals with
disabilities were judged by just about anyone. I will sadly tell a brief story;
at my high school, a few years before I got there (I was still in middle school),
an individual with down syndrome was locked in the school’s chicken coop. You
must understand, I am from the country, and a chicken coop at a high school is
unusually normal. Anyways, this individual was in there for hours and no one
knew until the teachers began looking for him. He eventually was found, and the
students were charged, but this is just an example of how stereotypes and
judgments are passed on individuals with health issues. I examined into this
thought about Junior and realized that this says a lot about his character and
how he emerges throughout the book. Arnold grows as a person from the beginning,
where he was soft, cried over his sweet dog, was mean and fought all the time,
to the middle where he decides to make the change of switching schools, to the
end where he is strong about his sisters death, cleans his sister, grandma, and
Eugene’s grave, to finally following his dreams. Throughout all of his hardships
throughout life, living poor, walking miles to school, getting beat up, fighting,
he figured out what life is about and not to give up when you are down, and to
chase your dreams.
I felt really bad about the part when Junior was at the
dance and Penelope, Roger, and some friends wanted to go out to eat. I felt bad
for Junior when he agreed, knowing that he had no money. My favorite part of
the book is when Roger offers Junior some money. When Roger asks him why he was
getting sick and Junior tells him he left his wallet, Roger says, “Man, don’t
sweat it. You should have said something earlier. I got you covered.” (Page
126.) We learn a few pages later that Roger knew Arnold was broke and needed the
money. This says a lot about Roger’s character, and even though Arnold and
Roger had a disagreement when they first met, Roger has changed his feelings
about Arnold and is looking deeper inside, rather than seeing him as a broke
Indian boy.
I wish that I had the courage that Junior has. I wish that I
could speak up, be confident, and follow my dreams. I wish that I could laugh off
my insecurities and my flaws. That alone is one of my major flaws; caring what
people think. I think the main theme of the story is growth and how you cannot
let obstacles get in the way of your dreams. I learned a lot about Indian
culture throughout this novel, and I hate that Indians have to go through this.
I cannot even imagine how hard life is for them; even thinking back to history
class and thinking of the Trail of Tears. It is heartbreaking, but I am glad
that Junior could look ahead positively and overcome the hardships.
“...where he is strong about his sisters death...finally following his dreams"
ReplyDeleteMary’s death acts as Junior’s final tipping point. That is when he realizes that simply leaving the reservation isn’t enough. His sister escaped the rez but remained entrenched in Native American society and died. “I was going to have to make a better life out in the white world” is Junior accepting that he can’t just leave his reservation, he has to leave Indian society entirely (217).
He alludes to this inevitable cultural severing in the line “I would always love Rowdy. And I would always miss him too” (230). This is heartbreaking for two reasons. First, it’s almost as though he’s already saying goodbye to Rowdy before they have even finished high school, before they even have to be apart. Second, he follows that thought up with, “Just as I would always love and miss my grandmother, my big sister, and Eugene” (230). I think it is exceptionally telling, and bone chilling, that he equates his feelings for Rowdy with that of the deceased. It’s like Junior already knows that Rowdy’s fate is sealed. Rowdy is going to die on that reservation and it won’t be peacefully in his sleep after he’s lived to a ripe old age.
Given all of this death I think Junior’s actions are less about following his dreams and more about survival. "I knew that staying on the rez would have killed me too" (216). Dreams are mentioned quite a bit in the novel, but their frivolity and meaninglessness are often underscored by Junior (particularly in the face of poverty). For example, “I know my mother and father had their dreams… They dreamed about being something other than poor, but they never got the chance because nobody paid attention to their dreams” (11). Later he says to Penelope, “quit talking in dreams and tell me what you want to do with your life… Make it simple” (111). Junior is, despite the frequent dream talk, a very practical kid who sees that dreaming is not enough. You’ve got to make it happen.
Works Cited
ReplyDeleteAlexie, Sherman. The Absolutely True Story of a Part-Time Indian. Little Brown and Company, 2007.