Category: Theme Study

The absolutely true diary of a part time Indian is about a boy called Junior who goes through a few problems. Junior was living in Welpinnit and had a good friend named Rowdy, but he got bullied and he decided he did not belong in the community at Welpinnit so he leaves every day to go to an all white school in Reardan. The points i will go through are that : He was poor, His loved ones passed away, Hes the only Indian in Reardan, Hes rejected in both Reardan and Welpinnit, He has worse problems compared to white people and also has not got parents who he can talk to because they are always drunk. These points show Junior as an outsider because these things are basics in life that most people have got, that Junior has not. This suggests he is an outsider in his community at Welpinnit.

The morning after Junior was jumped travelling home from Reardan after collecting money for the homeless people, he turned up at school with bruises and a black eye. Everyone in the school stared at him. This event suggests that Junior is an outsider because of the fact that they ‘Stared’ at him. The word stared suggests that when the white kids saw Junior, they saw him as a monster. He is also shown as an outsider  by the fact that he is an Indian in an all white school. This is because white people, having never seen an Indian, may be confused or in awe that they exist and i think this may be because their mascot for the school in Reardan is an Indian. ‘They stared at me like i was a UFO or Bigfoot.’ This quote shows Junior as an outsider because a UFO or Bigfoot are only stories or legends and seeing one would be extremely abnormal and this shows Junior as different.

In this book, Junior’s loved ones pass away frequently and this sets him aside from others as well as the depression this causes. His Grandmother, the one person who has never had a drop of alcohol and this is of significance because most people on the Rez are poor and down their sorrows in alcohol, for example, Junior`s parents don`t have enough money for christmas so Juniors dad ran away for a week over christmas and drank with all the money they had saved up. This shows Junior as an outsider because the majority of people will have christmas with friends and family. But also, they have parents which are mostly sober and who they can talk to but Junior`s parents are never there for him to talk to about troubles and this makes him an outsider in his community at Reardan.

‘I feel like a stranger walking between Welpinnit and Reardan.’ This quote suggests that Junior is not happy with his current state in both communities he is a part of. Junior is rejected in both his community at Welpinnit and his community in Reardan. This is significant because everyone needs somewhere to belong. If someone didn’t have anywhere to belong, they would probably feel unloved, distant, rejected, and this would probably lead to depression. However, most people have somewhere they belong and this dose not apply to them and this factor presents Junior as an outsider.

Juniors parents are regularly drunk, however they have never hurt or been mean to Junior while under  the influence of alcohol. Junior’s parents are drinkers. They are regularly drunk and this affects Junior in a couple of ways. For example; Junior, at most times, will have noone to go to with his troubles as his parents are always drunk. But, almost everyone in the world has someone to talk to and to help them when they need it. This factor presents Junior as an outsider because he will have things which he cant tell anyone or ask for help with and they may make him angry or violent at the worst of times.

Junior has many problems he comes by on a daily basis and this is one of the factors i will explore : Junior has way, way worse problems and larger in quantity compared to white people. This point sets him aside from others in a quite obtuse way as he has problems that white people couldn’t fathom. For example, Junior struggles with food and water everyday, but white people will have the food and drinks they could possibly want. And Junior always is getting bullied, beaten up or picked on everyday, whereas the white community would have no fighting, no bullying and everyone would be happy.

Overall, In the book ‘The Absolutely True Diary Of A Part Time Indian’ Junior is presented as an outsider in many ways, both obvious and obscure. I have explored only a few  of the instances that the writer leaves around the book which represent Junior as an outsider and I think that it is a very smart way that Sherman Alexie has explored ; that being, he has created a sense where you know that Junior has many problems but he bases the book on the bad things that happen and has the good things remain discreet. This makes the reader engage with the book, thinking for Junior and feeling that nothing good happens to him until they explore the deeper meaning of the book.

What I found most interesting thing in the book is that Junior isn’t accepted in neither Reardan nor Wellpinit. It interests me that he left his birthplace to explore the open world buy he isn’t accepted there even though he made a small group of friends in Reardan he wasn’t accepted by the community. However, the author used this occurrence to bring in a teaching about birthplaces and that if you leave them, they will almost always accept you back because you belong there and they know that really they can’t exile you from your birthplace because it will always be where you belong.

In this chapter Junior’s sister dies in a fire. And his dad picks him up from school after he runs from the teacher and he can’t stop laughing because he thought his dad had died as well on the icy roads. They have a wake where all of his cousin’s get drunk to honor a drunk couples death. And a funeral where Junior runs away into the forest to hide but he runs into rowdy and he’s crying because he thinks that by Junior leaving the rez he caused his sister to run off and end up dead.

“If you’d given me a room full of sober Indians crying and laughing and telling stories about my sister then I would of gladly stayed and joined them in ceremony.”I think this quote is important because it shows that Junior despises them being hypocritical and he’s showing that they don’t really care because so many people have died but he still does care.

Yes, but it is also about realising what white people have and what native Americans have, and that white people are so much better off with everything they need but native Americans struggle with simply getting to the next day.

I knew that none of them was going to college. Not one of them.

All of the guys on our team has iPods and cell phones and PSPs and three pairs of blue jeans and ten shirts and mothers and fathers who went to church and had good jobs.

The writer presents poverty in line a lion through repetition. This can be seen when he writes, “I knew that none of them was going to college. Not one of them. And he repeats “I know that.” He repeated I know to get across the point that Indians are less fortunate than white people in America.

In this chapter junior and his team play against wellpinnit and junior is interviewed by a sports guy. He reveals his feelings about the game and goes into it happy. Junior guards rowdy and mocks him do demoralize him. They win the game because of this, but Junior realises that Reardan gets everything and wellpinnit gets nothing in our and gives up hope.

This chapter is about how Reardan played wellpinnit for the second time.

Yes, but it is also about Junior realising what white people have and why native Americans have. And that white people are so much better off with everything they need but native Americans struggle with simply getting by to the next day.

Yes but it is also about beating the team they aimed for

Yes but it is also about Junior not being scared of rowdy

Yes but it is also about Junior believing in himself and overcoming personal difficulties

Yes but it is also about Junior inspiring other people

Wake is when people, after a funeral, celebrate the life of the dead.

1* I think Junior meant that Ted collecting their things is showcasing their lives to the rest of the public by saying ” Indians feel like insects pinned to a display board.”

2* It’s ironic that the old man got the origin of the powwow wrong because he’s collecting evidence to find out all about it but he still knows nothing about Native American culture.

‘Life is a constant struggle between being an individual and a member of the community’

This is showed by When all the crowd went quiet they showed their regection towards him, When they crowd were taunting him, When they turned their backs on Junior, When he started to bleed because of a quarter.

“Well, life is a constant struggle between being an individual and being a member of the community.”

Constant- continuous

Struggle- problem

Between- in the middle

Individual- by yourself

Member- a part of something

Community- with a group

I think this quote means that a big problem in life is coming from a group of people you know, like a community in your birthplace, for example Junior is from the rez. But the other part of the problem is moving on to be a greater individual, like Junior leaves the rez to learn in a less bias school.

This part of the story makes me think about people who belong to a community but dosn’t feel like they are a part of it anymore, someone with no sanctuary.

“I was half indian in one place and half white in the other. I felt like i belong to wellpinit but im not respected there but i also belong in reardan with penelope but i know i dont belong there. This is what it feels like to be someone without anywhere to go.”

“Later that night, at home, i grew more saddened about the loss of my best friend, Rowdy. He was always there to talk to and now i dont have anyone. I would wish for my relationship with gordy to fill the void Rowdy’s left, but i know that noone could ever replace him.”

I try to fill Rowdy’s void with penelope but i still cant get her to love me. My life shattering with every step i take further from rowdy. He was always the one to hold me together in one piece, metaphorically and physically.