Junior’s Identity Shift
Junior was born with cerebrospinal fluid and forty-two teeth, had seizures, a lisp, lived in poverty on an Indian Reservation, and had to deal with many family alcohol addictions and deaths. His life wasn’t easy and it didn't help that we was continuously made fun of and beat up at school. During Junior’s transition into Reardon, he struggled with finding himself. “Traveling between Reardon and Wellpinit, between the little white town and the reservation, I always felt like a stranger. I was half Indian in one place and half white in the other”(Alexie 118). He felt trapped between the white and Indian cultures and in the end realized he didn't have to fit into a category. Junior could simply embrace who he was. Junior …show more content…
It was a fancy, wealthy, white kid school that was the best at everything. He compared himself to the kids there and was intimidated. He desperately tried to fit in and strived to be accepted. He always tried to hide his family's poverty by making up excuses for why he couldn't attend events that he couldn't afford and scraped together any money his family had to buy the “in” clothes. “Reardon was the opposite of the rez. It was the opposite of my family. It was the opposite of me. I didn’t deserve to be there. I knew it; all of those kids knew it. Indians don’t deserve shit.” (Alexie 56). As Junior compared himself to the Reardon kids, he felt insecure and not worthy of a better education because of the difference in income. Junior tried to make friends and slowly became more accepted. When Roger, the schools sport star, found out Junior couldn't afford his or Penelope's meal, he paid for it and asked nothing in return. Junior was going to walk home but Penelope, Junior’s dream girl, cried and Roger offered him a ride home. Junior was nervous about his basketball game, but his coach encouraged him and believed in him. At this point, Junior realized people did care for him, appreciated him, and accepted who he was despite the differences Junior thought were so important.
He didn't have to be wealthy, popular, or white in order to be liked. He just had to be Junior. The support and acceptance
Junior was born with cerebrospinal fluid and forty-two teeth, had seizures, a lisp, lived in poverty on an Indian Reservation, and had to deal with many family alcohol addictions and deaths. His life wasn’t easy and it didn't help that we was continuously made fun of and beat up at school. During Junior’s transition into Reardon, he struggled with finding himself. “Traveling between Reardon and Wellpinit, between the little white town and the reservation, I always felt like a stranger. I was half Indian in one place and half white in the other”(Alexie 118). He felt trapped between the white and Indian cultures and in the end realized he didn't have to fit into a category. Junior could simply embrace who he was. Junior …show more content…
It was a fancy, wealthy, white kid school that was the best at everything. He compared himself to the kids there and was intimidated. He desperately tried to fit in and strived to be accepted. He always tried to hide his family's poverty by making up excuses for why he couldn't attend events that he couldn't afford and scraped together any money his family had to buy the “in” clothes. “Reardon was the opposite of the rez. It was the opposite of my family. It was the opposite of me. I didn’t deserve to be there. I knew it; all of those kids knew it. Indians don’t deserve shit.” (Alexie 56). As Junior compared himself to the Reardon kids, he felt insecure and not worthy of a better education because of the difference in income. Junior tried to make friends and slowly became more accepted. When Roger, the schools sport star, found out Junior couldn't afford his or Penelope's meal, he paid for it and asked nothing in return. Junior was going to walk home but Penelope, Junior’s dream girl, cried and Roger offered him a ride home. Junior was nervous about his basketball game, but his coach encouraged him and believed in him. At this point, Junior realized people did care for him, appreciated him, and accepted who he was despite the differences Junior thought were so important.
He didn't have to be wealthy, popular, or white in order to be liked. He just had to be Junior. The support and acceptance