ipl-logo

Absolutely True Diary Of A Part Time Indian Boy Analysis

533 Words3 Pages

THE ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART-TIME INDIAN BOY
BOOK RATIONALE

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian Boy, Sherman Alexie, 2007

Intended Audience

This novel tells the story of Junior, who has primarily grown up on the Spokane Indian Reservation. As Junior grows older, he develops a determination towards making the best of his life and leaves his dismayed school to attend an all-white high school where there is only one other Indian kid in attendance.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian Boy is a novel that is best suited for readers at the high school level and beyond. Though the book is fairly easy to understand, some themes and events, based on true events, are such that require maturity that is most likely to …show more content…

An outcast on his reservation, Junior has just one friend, Rowdy. When Junior decides to go to Reardan, a white school 20 miles away, everyone on the reservation declares him an apple (red on the outside but white on the inside) and Rowdy vows never to talk to him again.

At the new school, Junior is treated exactly as he was on the reservation. While he tries to work his way up the social ladder both at Reardan and back on the reservation, he surprises everyone when he tries out for the basketball team and makes varsity as a freshman. He is put to the ultimate test when his team plays the reservation's, with the star player being none other than his ex-best friend, Rowdy.

This coming-of-age story is paired with cartoons that allow the reader to see inside Junior's mind to understand his emotions and opinions through both difficult and fun times. This interesting book explains how hard it is growing up on a reservation and how much more challenging it becomes when Junior decides to go to Reardan. Seeing the reactions of those he considered friends and others on the reservation is heart-breaking, but Alexie's humor and funny cartoons make the story relevant and easy to read for a young adult

Show More
Related

  • Sherman's Ethos Pathos Logo

    586 Words  | 3 Pages

    This story is written by Sherman Alexie and is a story of hope for the children of different ethnicity. Hope for them to merge in the American society. The author in the story presents himself as a child having a dream to blend in the American society and by sticking to his dream he grew among the children of his same background. Sherman is a Native American Indian and is expected to be slow and “stupid”. The story is interesting.

    Read More

  • Internal And External Expectations In The Absolutely True Diary Of A Part-Time Indian

    563 Words  | 3 Pages

    In “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian,” internal and external expectations shaped Junior’s life by giving him the strength to grow and give him a reason to live. Growing up in a discriminated Indian reservation, external expectations told Junior to never leave the reservation for something better. “Reservations were supposed to move onto reservations and die. We were supposed to disappear” (216). Everyone around Junior created this picture that Indians were expected to never stray from the reservation.

    Read More

  • Native American Indian Analysis

    1106 Words  | 5 Pages

    In the late 1800 's into the 1900 's and beyond Native American Indians, fought in pursuit of protecting their land. However, years passed and Native Americans were stripped away from their homes and forced to be in reservation camps where many face problems related to health, poverty and alcoholism. The reservations served as a way to segregate Native Americans and today, there are approximately 560 federally recognized Native American Tribes in the United States. (Rose,”The history of Native American Indians”) The Absolute True Diary of A Part-Time Indian written by Sherman Alexie, tells the story of Arnold, a Native American teenage boy who struggles with life and takes it day by day.

    Read More

  • Part-Time Indian Thesis

    1048 Words  | 5 Pages

    The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian written by Sherman Alexie is a novel that follows the journey of a young Native American boy named Junior, as he transfers to a new school and encounters unknown situations. At the beginning of the book, he struggles with an abundant amount of physical insecurity and sense of inferiority about his basketball skills. Nevertheless, after he transfers to Reardan High School, he forms new friendships and joins the school’s varsity basketball team. Due to these positive influences in his life, Junior gains more confidence in his looks while also becoming more determined and prideful in his basketball gameplay.

    Read More

  • Part Time Indian Figurative Language

    1256 Words  | 6 Pages

    The continuous loss of relatives is too harsh for a boy, so Alexie uses a kind of “slight sorrow” to let Junior realize the weakness of life in the face of death. In addition, while cleaning the cemetery later, Junior says, “Reservations were meant to be prisons, you know? Indians were supposed to move onto reservations and die. We were supposed to disappear. But somehow or another, Indians have forgotten that reservations were meant to be death camps.”

    Read More

  • Part Time Indian Poverty Essay

    634 Words  | 3 Pages

    Junior’s father’s drinking problems and the lack of funds to afford decent living conditions on the reservation are prevalent issues throughout the book that provide an insight into this theme. This proves that the author has written this novel to exhibit the hardships of those in poverty are detrimental to a child’s future. First, the novel shows the hardships of poverty by showing the discrimination made against Junior. On page 86, Junior states he “remembered when I [he] used to be a human being,” (Alexie 86).

    Read More

  • Essay On The Absolutely True Diary Of A Part Time Indian

    735 Words  | 3 Pages

    Junior loses a lot of friends and family at the young age of fourteen. He gets bullied because he was born with too much cerebral spinal fluid inside his skull, but he has his best friend Rowdy there to help him. Junior realizes that he needs to leave the reservation to get a better life for himself. He goes to a new school off the

    Read More

  • Part Time Indian Conflicts

    1084 Words  | 5 Pages

    No matter the place in the world there are always leaders and followers, but sometimes there are people who take their own route. Within The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Junior is that person who takes his own route. This is because of all the conflicts surrounding him. Junior’s decisions were impacted by the conflicts around him because he wanted to try his best to escape the hostile environment he was in. When people are facing adversity they don’t want to accept what is happening they want to fight back.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Absolutely True Diary Of A Part-Time Indian By Sherman Alexie

    1121 Words  | 5 Pages

    In his book the Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Sherman Alexie portrays a teenage boy, Arnold Spirit (junior) living in white man’s world, and he must struggle to overcome racism and stereotypes if he must achieve his dreams. In the book, Junior faces a myriad of misfortunes at his former school in ‘the rez’ (reservation), which occurs as he struggles to escape from racial and stereotypical expectations about Indians. For Junior he must weigh between accepting what is expected of him as an Indian or fight against those forces and proof his peers and teachers wrong. Therefore, from the time Junior is in school at reservation up to the time he decides to attend a neighboring school in Rearden, we see a teenager who is facing tough consequences for attempting to go against the racial stereotypes.

    Read More

  • Part-Time Indian Struggles

    966 Words  | 4 Pages

    Facing struggles of life defines one’s character in life. The ability to confront one’s problems speaks volumes about their strength in character, hopefulness, and flexibility as a person. Through struggles, sacrifice, and tragedy, Junior in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie, Junior adapts to survive difficult situations and faces his problems head-on. As he makes radical changes to his life, adapts to unfamiliar culture, and finds himself amongst misery and heartbreak, Junior demonstrates this ability to overcome wicked adversity and struggles.

    Read More

  • Banned Book Research Paper

    859 Words  | 4 Pages

    The book focuses on a young boy named Arnold Spirit who shows persistence and bravery as he defies all odds and strides towards a happier more successful life than his parents and ancestors before him. Arnold is a bright, inspiring young boy who grows up with little fortune and is destined to continue down the path of a poor, misunderstood Indian. However, his fate changes for the better when a spark lights the fire inside of him to strive to pursue a better, more flourishing life as he makes an extraordinary decision to transfer to an all-white school for a worthier education. However, the drastic change of schools puts a burden on his family to get him to school as well as leads to extreme bullying from not just kids at his new school but also from his fellow Indians in his hometown. In The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, I learned that it doesn 't matter what your situation is and what you are expected to accomplish in your lifetime or what standards have already been set for you because you can be whoever you want to be with hard work, ambition, and confidence.

    Read More

  • The Absolutely True Diary Of Part Time Indian Essay

    781 Words  | 4 Pages

    Argument for Banning “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” Book in Middle Schools Published in 2007, “The Absolutely True Diary of Part-Time Indian” by Sherman Alexie says about the moving story of a Native American teenager named Arnold Spirit who made the bold decision to attend an all-white high school from Spokane reservation to find hope for the future in the Reardan. This volume won the National Book Award in 2007 and won several other awards. Even though this novel can be power of education, “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” paperback should be banned because this is not appropriate for middle schools.

    Read More

  • Character Analysis Of Junior In The Absolutely True Diary Of A Part-Time Indian

    594 Words  | 3 Pages

    After everyone compliments his suit, he realizes it is okay to be different. Another example of this lesson is when Junior goes to Reardon, knowing he is going to be the only Indian there. Junior knows he will be the only non-white student at reardon, yet he goes anyway. Even though he has to deal with being picked on, and standing out, he learns to cope with it. In conclusion, Junior is not afraid to be different, since he has had a lot of experience as always being different in his life.

    Read More

  • The Absolutely True Diary Literary Analysis

    761 Words  | 4 Pages

    As Winston Churchill said,” Success is not final. Failure is not fatal”. It is the perseverance and hope to continue that counts. This is the story of a boy named Junior whose key is his hope. The Absolutely True Diary is the life story of a Arnold Spirit (Junior) and his efforts to break the stereotypes about Indians.

    Read More

  • Themes In The Absolute True Diary Of A Part-Time Indian

    920 Words  | 4 Pages

    There are main themes in every novel some may be obvious while some require research and analysis to find. In The Absolute True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, there are many themes such as bullying, racism, drug abuse and alcoholism. Though only a few of those apply directly to Junior, the protagonist, there is one that he is affected by more than any other. This one is isolation.

    Read More

More about Absolutely True Diary Of A Part Time Indian Boy Analysis

Open Document