Cristina GuzmanMs.Monette

English 9A Per: 710-12-11

The Story of a Very Unique BoyBy: Cristina Guzman

In the world there are many places where the word hope is no longer part of the human

vocabulary, where society has destined everyone for failure. The story The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie, takes place on a reservation, located in Spokane, Washington where everyone has given up on life and hope is a term no longer used, however in the darkest of the storms there is always a ray of sunlight. Arnold, better known as Junior, a young Indian boy, was the ray of sunlight in the Spokane Reservation.Good use of metaphor Junior is a caring and persevering boy, stuck in a dichotomy.Explain the dichotomy Throughout the Story Junior undergoes a series of events that help him develop who he really is.Elaborate on who he really is.

Junior is an Indian boy born with what many may call, a heart of gold. Unlike many Indian boys

on the reservation, Junior is a caring person, who even cares about people that he doesn't know and he never expects anything in return. An example of this is displayed in this excerpt on page 106, from the story, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, “Okay, so somebody might have the flu or something. Maybe they’re having, like, kidney failure in there. I can’t walk away.”(pg #) Here was the perfect example of Junior worrying about a complete stranger, however Junior also cared about friends and family, even when they were in an argument. An example of this is also portrayed on page 197, “ A few days after basketball season ended, I e-mailed Rowdy and told him I was sorry that we we beat them so bad and that their season went to hell after that.” Now this may seem like Junior is worried about his friend, Rowdy’s feelings, however what the quote does not indicate is that Junior and Rowdy, were best friends but, at the time, they were no longer speaking to one another because Rowdy had developed a hatred for Junior due to earlier events in the story.

While many may consider being caring a good quality, on the reservation where Junior lived,

being caring was considered a weakness, and at times was a reason for being bullied. Because of this and a series of faults, Junior was subject to bullying inside and outside of school. However, unlike the rest of the people on the reservation, Junior was filled with hope and perseverance. Because of this perseverance Junior made a crucial decision in look for a better future. In spite his mother’s warnings on page 47, “ You’ll be the first one to ever leave the rez this way.”, ” The Indians around here are going to be angry with you.”, Junior decided to transfer to Reardan High School as shown in this excerpt on page 47 and 48, “Shoot, I figure that my fellow tribal members are going to torture me.”, “So the day after I decided to transfer to Reardan, and after my parents agreed to make it happen.” Another example of Junior’s Perseverance is also demonstrated on page 148, when Junior was speaking to the coach of the Reardan basketball team, “Coach, I would walk out of this hospital and walk all the way back to Wellpinit to play them right now if I could.” This was said after Junior had suffered an injury while playing a basketball game against Wellpinit High School, and was now in a hospital bed.

While at Reardan High School, Junior took on a new life as his alter ego, Arnold, the new cool

Indian boy in school. However once he stepped foot into the reservation, he was back to Junior, the poor, lonely, nerdy boy that everyone loved to bully, thus leaving him stuck in a dichotomy. Junior struggles with his outer and inner self throughout the story, trying to figure out who he really is. The book displays many instances when Junior feels torn internally between his Indian culture and the American culture that he is subjected to in Reardan High School everyday. An example of this would be on page 61 when Junior expresses, “ I felt like two different people inside of one body.” What this quote is trying to say is that Junior feels like he is two people, on the reservation he is considered a traitor, however in Reardan he is considered a star. Yet in Reardan he knows no one’s family, he does not know his friend’s father, but on the reservation, he knows everyone, he knows everyone’s grandmother and sisters and cousins. The following quote on page 60 also portrays how Junior begins to feel like he is two different people by him stating, “And my name is Arnold. It’s Junior and Arnold. I’m both.” This accompanied by a picture demonstrates how Junior changes while being at reardan, how he goes from being his alter ego, Arnold, the rich Indian with all the white friends, to Junior, the poor Indian with no friends who has been labeled a traitor.

Junior played a very important role as the main character of The Diary of a Part-Time Indian. As

a series of events occured, Junior grew as a person, his confidence grew along with his popularity and by loosing some friends, he gained many more. However. it was thanks to Junior’s perseverance and careness caring naturet hat allowed Junior to rise above his expectations and soon get out of the dichotomy he was stuck in.

Cristina, this is a strong paper. However the ending leaves the reader wanting more. How did Junior solidify the two opposing sides of his personality?

Grade: 190/200