Review Of Sherman Alexie's The Absolutely True Diary Of A Part-Time Indian

Improved Essays
Alcoholism in Reservations In Sherman Alexie’s book entitled “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian,” one of the many continuous themes is alcoholism. It shows how alcohol can affect everyone surrounding it, and the destruction is causes within families or personal feelings. Junior (the main character) labels his community as a generally drunk society. The book allows us to witness the tragedies Junior has encountered first hand. Within the short amount of time Junior has lived, he has encountered many deaths and injuries caused by alcohol. Though the book gives excellent examples of the negatives of alcohol, it is limited to a limited amount of alcohol encounters, where as the Junior can only experience so much on his own. That does not mean however, it cannot get worse, or better than that. Ultimately, he has only one perspective, and only one story. …show more content…
The U.S. government attempts to represent themselves as the protectors of the Native Americans by these reservations. However, it can hurt, and isolate them as well, leaving many drinking their alienated identities away. Doris Giago helps explain reasoning for addiction within reservations. An idea that the act of drinking began between the 40s and 50s, when many tribal members returned from wars. This left alcoholism as the primary result of the worsening social and cultural values. Alexie himself levied on the Spokane reservation (Giago). He explains the have been many recordings of alcohol affiliated deaths, along with abuse and misconduct. The author, Alexie, and Junior are alike in many ways, just as they are indifferent. In the book, Junior never drinks, but Alexie has a different story. He in fact, became an alcoholic himself, which also explains the lasting impact alcohol can have on a

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