Heros are not always depicted as huge and muscular like the ones featured in fairytales, but that does not mean that they are any less of a hero because a hero is someone who is able to learn from themselves and others to make a situation better. In Sherman Alexie’s The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, an Indigenous teen named Junior is able to become a hero while he faces many conflicts in his life using his heroic traits. Through Junior’s courage, he is willing to make unusual choices that seem insane. Junior can also recover from conflicts quickly and is able to become stronger because he is resilient. In addition to resilience, Junior is prompted to do get want he wants with his motivation. Ultimately, Junior can be considered
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To begin, Junior uses his courage to act against what is seen as conventional by his community, but he knows that it is for his own benefit. During the call to action, his Caucasian mathematics teacher, Mr. P, tells him to leave the reservation that he lives in for his own benefit: “‘If you stay on this rez,’ Mr. P said, ‘they’re going to kill you. I’m going to kill you,” (Alexie, 43). Junior complies despite the obvious obstacles that he has to face, saying, “...if I don’t go now, I never will. I have to do it now… I was starting to understand… I had to add my hope to somebody else’s hope. I had to multiply hope by hope,” (Alexie, 46). He realizes that the only way to break out of the repetitious cycle that his Indigenous community goes …show more content…
For example, Junior is a cartoonist, and one of the reason he draws is because it keeps him afloat in the despairs of life: “So [Junior] [draws] because [he] [feels] like it might be [his] only real chance to escape the reservation. [He] [thinks] the world is a series of broken dams and floods, and [his] cartoons are tiny little lifeboats… And [he] [thinks] [he is] pretty good at it too,” (Alexie, 6-7). Junior is aware of the harsh reality, through the metaphors of the ‘floods’ and ‘lifeboats’. He wants to escape the reservation, which fuels his motivation to continue to draw because that he believes that it is his only way to leave. Junior also knows he has a talent in drawing, which gives him motivation as well. Junior benefits from this because he does not give up on life like the rest of the reservation. Another example of Junior’s motivation is during the climax before the basketball game. He is told to guard his best friend, Rowdy, who is the star player on the opposing team. Junior is not sure if he is able to do that, until his coach says otherwise: “‘You can [guard Rowdy],’ Coach said again. he didn’t shout it. He whispered. Like a prayer. And he kept whispering again. Until the prayer turning into a song. And then, for some magical reason, [Junior] believed in him… ‘I can do it,’ [Junior] said to Coach, to [his] teammates, to the world. ‘You can do it,’ Coach
To begin, Junior uses his courage to act against what is seen as conventional by his community, but he knows that it is for his own benefit. During the call to action, his Caucasian mathematics teacher, Mr. P, tells him to leave the reservation that he lives in for his own benefit: “‘If you stay on this rez,’ Mr. P said, ‘they’re going to kill you. I’m going to kill you,” (Alexie, 43). Junior complies despite the obvious obstacles that he has to face, saying, “...if I don’t go now, I never will. I have to do it now… I was starting to understand… I had to add my hope to somebody else’s hope. I had to multiply hope by hope,” (Alexie, 46). He realizes that the only way to break out of the repetitious cycle that his Indigenous community goes …show more content…
For example, Junior is a cartoonist, and one of the reason he draws is because it keeps him afloat in the despairs of life: “So [Junior] [draws] because [he] [feels] like it might be [his] only real chance to escape the reservation. [He] [thinks] the world is a series of broken dams and floods, and [his] cartoons are tiny little lifeboats… And [he] [thinks] [he is] pretty good at it too,” (Alexie, 6-7). Junior is aware of the harsh reality, through the metaphors of the ‘floods’ and ‘lifeboats’. He wants to escape the reservation, which fuels his motivation to continue to draw because that he believes that it is his only way to leave. Junior also knows he has a talent in drawing, which gives him motivation as well. Junior benefits from this because he does not give up on life like the rest of the reservation. Another example of Junior’s motivation is during the climax before the basketball game. He is told to guard his best friend, Rowdy, who is the star player on the opposing team. Junior is not sure if he is able to do that, until his coach says otherwise: “‘You can [guard Rowdy],’ Coach said again. he didn’t shout it. He whispered. Like a prayer. And he kept whispering again. Until the prayer turning into a song. And then, for some magical reason, [Junior] believed in him… ‘I can do it,’ [Junior] said to Coach, to [his] teammates, to the world. ‘You can do it,’ Coach