Diary Response ( Cameron)

By -

     The Absolutely True Diary of A Part Time Indian, Is a really cool book that focuses on a lot of different issues within Native American/Indian communities in modern America. I find that the book does a really good job of being relatable even if you aren't Indian as one of the major issues that Arnold/Junior faces is his Identity, and not just his race but his Identity as a person. 

    From the beginning Arnold explains that because of his medical issues he belongs to the " Black Eye of the Month Club" ( Alexie 4). So he may "fit in" as an Indian but he still gets outed for differences he can't control.  However things don't get much better when he first transfers to Rearden, in fact on page 61 Arnold says " I felt like two different people inside of one body" after explaining his two names. 

However, there are more specific quotes that give insight into how Arnold sees himself and how he handles going to Rearden. " And then you start to believe you're stupid and ugly because you're Indian and because you're Indian you start believing you're destined to be poor" ( Alexie 13). This line tells us how Arnold feels, he has problems because he's Indian.  And on page 81 Arnold imagines what Rowdy would say if he asked him for help with Penelope. " The first thing you have to do is change the way you look, the way you talk, and the way you walk, and then she'll think you're her fricking Prince Charming." Clearly Arnold doesn't really think that highly of himself or at least that he's not good enough to be with Penelope. 

However, if we fast forward closer to the end of the book, we can see that Arnold has changed his way of thinking somewhat. After making friends, seeing the issues some kids have at Rearden, and experiencing loss. Arnold says this " I realized that I might be a lonely Indian boy, but I was not alone in my loneliness, There were millions of other Americans who had left their birthplaces in search of a dream" ( Alexie 217). Arnold then lists off all the tribes he belongs to. 

This book is relatable to everyone, because we all have issues finding our selves, we all have issues with things we can't control, we have issues with fitting in, be it because of race, economics, personality, or hobbies. However I believe that part of the purpose of this book was to show that despite these issues, everyone, every Arnold out there can find a place to belong and to find themselves for the better. 



Comments

  1. HelenSeptember 9, 2022 at 3:31 PM

    I think it's important, the bit where Arnold/Junior imagines what Rowdy would say if he asked him about Penelope; sure, he knows his best friend, but it is also a second-hand view of what Junior really thinks of himself. This is confirmed when he actually asks Rowdy/tells him about her later on, and his answer is much more blunt and abrupt. I also liked the bit when Junior was listing the tribes he was in, having that realization; it made me cry a little. It really showed his growth in character through; rising above the tragedies.

    ReplyDelete
  2. HelenSeptember 9, 2022 at 3:33 PM

    I totally agree! And I love the last two sentences of your comment!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Growing Pains - The Symbolism of the Tree in Speak

By -
I have felt the paralyzing pain of internal disease. The kind of trauma that causes your mouth to curl in and swallow you whole. I, like so many other women, are walking the halls in Melinda’s shoes in “Speak.” I thought Laurie Anderson did a phenomenal job of twisting all of the tribulations a high school girl goes through, into the tree that Melinda is. Whether we’re as strong as an oak or weak as a bush, we have all gone through the disease that strikes Melinda from the inside out. Melinda is like a half-dead tree. Some parts of her strive to blossom and create beauty. Other parts are broken and diseased. Like a dead tree, Melinda needs to save herself and “cut off the damage, [so it] is possible for the tree to grow again” (187). The symbolism of a tree is significant in “Speak.” Trees reflect her growing process. In the beginning, Melinda is a sick and lifeless tree. Her view is negative and dark. She’s so far past repair, bursts of sunlight do her no good. Sunlight would be pe
Read more

How Starr Goes from Acting to Embracing in The Hate U Give

By -
In The Hate U Give, Starr Carter is caught between two worlds. She lives in a predominantly black neighborhood, but her father sends her and her brothers to a private school where she is surrounded by white people. She talks about acting differently depending on what group she is around, which can create some identity problems. She says on page 11, "Funny how it works with white kids though. It's dope to be black until it's hard to be black." When at Williamson, she sees white kids that think it's cool to engage in black culture, but she knows they don't understand what she goes through in her Garden Heights community. She witnessed her friend Natasha's death when she was 10 years old, and she sees gang activity in her community all the time. When she is among her black friends, like at the party, they tease her for hanging out with the white kids. This reminds me of a Drake song where he says, "I used to get teased for being black, and now I'm
Read more

Postmodernism in Curious Incident

By -
Before I start writing, I first want to acknowledge that I just really loved this book! It seemed like a lot of the class had trouble enjoying or appreciating the novel because it's so different stylistically, which is understandable, but all of those unique elements helped make the novel more authentic. The main topic I want to focus on (also what I'm writing my paper on) is how a lot of postmodernist elements were used in the novel to make Christopher come to life. While obviously not every postmodern novel is about an autistic kid, I think Haddon really used a lot of these elements to his advantage and they ended up working out really well to characterize Christopher. One of the major postmodern elements which helps this book really craft an authentic portrayal of autism is the fact that it's metafictive. Basically, this means it's a "story within a story." Readers would be extremely limited just reading the parts of the novel which are meant to be C
Read more