Bryan Mabe
10.17.09
Report On:
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
A Novel By Sherman Alexie
Sherman Alexie is one of the most known authors of modern times thanks to his authenticity and natural ability to tell stories. Most, if not all of his stories surround the subject of his Native American culture. These stories reflect the tragedy and unfortunate circumstances that affect not only his own Native American tribe, but tribes all over the United States. It is rare that an author can take a tough subject, make light of it, and still come off as heartfelt and genuine as Alexie does. Many writers poke fun at, point out the ironies in, or simply avoid racism. Alexie tackles racism head-on with no apprehension, which makes him a very controversial figure in the literary world and among the Native American people. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is an excellent example of such, with the inclusion of racism, Native Americans and the examination of class structure and its “voice.”
The central character in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is a teenager named Arnold Spirit, he is also known in the novel as simply, Junior. Alexie introduces his protagonist as he is living on an Indian reservation. Junior seems out of the ordinary even on a reservation filled with other Native American boys. See, Junior is filled with issues. He is poor. He is ugly. He has got a terrible stutter, and he is considered somewhat of a loner. The teenager has a difficult time living life amongst his peers and even his own teachers acknowledge that staying on the reservation might “kill him.”
Even though Junior is considered different, one of the boys on the reservation is considered to be Junior’s best friend. The boy’s name is Rowdy. He and Junior are friends within the reservation and it is their friendship which comes into question within the novel. Rowdy, along with Junior’s grandmother are the most recognized secondary characters.
Junior’s number one passion is drawing. He is a skillful cartoon drawer and even states at one point, “”I think the world is a series of broken dams and floods, and my cartoons are tiny little lifeboats.” In other words, drawing cartoons is Junior’s way to escape the harsh aspects his life consists of and is the only piece of his life that stays consistent throughout the novel.
With encouragement from much of his family and many of the adults in the reservation in Spokane, Washington, Junior transfers to an all-white school which is located off the reservation in Reardan, Washington. The change of setting turns out changing Junior’s life immensely.
The move from the reservation school to the suburban white school disturbs not only the white kids who attend Junior’s new school, but also his own reservation’s young companions have issues with him making the move. His Native American brethren see Junior’s move as one a “trader” would commit. They do not see why he would want to go to school with the very people who shun him and his tribe away from the outside world. And the white kids in Junior’s new school treat him as an outcast as racism ensues. The result of the move is a painful, but sometimes a funny account of his first year of high school.
During that transition period for Junior no issue seems too taboo for Alexie. He addresses much more than obvious racism. He tackles less-talked about types of discrimination. He picks apart friendship; what it really means and the heartbreak that it can cause. Teenage love is something else he touches on as well as death, which does its part of rounding out subjects which make up troubled years for most teenagers. The death occurs to Junior’s grandmother.
Junior’s grandmother’s name is given only as Grandmother Spirit in the book. Her first name is never mentioned. Junior speaks about his grandmother at length in two places in the narrative and he addresses her only as “Grandma” or “my grandmother.” When he is at a loss as to how to respond to the treatment he is receiving at the white school he has chosen to attend, he goes to her for advice. Junior admires her especially because out of everyone he has ever known, she is the most tolerant. In life, she accepted everyone as equal, even “weird people”. On her deathbed, her dying wish is that the drunk driver that hit her be forgiven. Grandmother Spirit very clearly had an enormous impact on Junior’s life.
There are several themes that are present throughout The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is the reclamation of voice. A central idea of this novel is the idea that a person’s voice can be authentic and powerful despite powers that seek to silence it. Another theme is the idea that a person’s identity is forged through social and political hurdles, not necessarily by what race, gender or class one is from. Junior’s identity and idea of self is enhanced only when he undergoes extreme levels of challenges from his own people and white society. Like many novels and stories that reflect race and class, this novel explains the difficulty in being considered a hyphenated American. The final theme is something that is very intriguing; it is how these voices can be brought from margin to center when society pays attention and listens to these voices. The narratives of Native Americans have not been included in American history. There is evidence in the book that talks about how Junior sees himself as an American whose voice “sings” America, even if American society itself does not fully acknowledge his voice. He speaks and sings regardless of who listens. This idea of the freedom within the American narrative is a powerful one and seems to be the most established of themes throughout the novel.Towards the end of the novel, Junior plays a basketball game as a starting guard on the all-white school’s team against his old classmates who are still attending school on the reservation. It is at this game where Junior questions his loyalty to his people and ultimately to himself.
Broken dreams and loss may be prevalent throughout the story however they are a “fact of life.” And these facts of life are rarely as realistically and eloquently stated as they are in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. The last chapter of the novel concludes that Junior will always “love and miss (his) reservation and (his) tribe.” He prays they will forgive him for leaving, and that he will forgive himself. He cries a little as he wonders about the future. Then he and Rowdy play ball, without keeping score.
Alexie’s delivery and intelligence is what sets The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian apart from other books that deal with racism and class. Junior is a real boy with real issues and he deals with them with the same incompetence that a real, awkward, 15-year-old boy would. In fact, much of the story is considered to be semi-autobiographical. Although it has been some time since Alexie was a teenager, he manages to invoke the life of a teenage outcast in a manner unequaled many other modern adult writers. Most people try to block out most of their teenage memories, especially the painful ones, but Alexie communicates them through the story The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. Alexie has written a novel that entertains and educates, and one that should be read by every teenager or young adult, regardless of ethnicity, class, age, sex or race.
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