Analysis Of Sherman Alexie's Indian Education

A rough childhood would be an understatement when talking about a minority child’s. Sherman Alexie’s “Indian Education” illustrates the life of a young Native American boy from early 1st grade, to the final moments he walked down to get his diploma. Along the way we are confronted by challenging suspects who test his patience and character. Being bullied in first grade, Victor tries to gain respect by having a physical confrontation with his teasers. Little does this do, because for the next two years, it continues. When in fourth grade, one of his teachers places the thought into his head of him becoming a doctor. The following year his cousin start to abuse rubber cement, and is being a negative role model on young Victor. Once in middle …show more content…
He was born in 1966 on a reservation in a small town near Spokane, Washington. He was born hydrocephalic, which is a medical condition in which the brain has excessive amounts of water deep inside. Doctors speculated that if he were to survive major brain surgery, he would live mentally retarded. After many surgeries, he survived, but still had seizures frequently. Because of this, he was very sheltered by his parents and developed a love for literature. By age 3, he learned to read. A few years later, he was reading novels such as The Grapes of Wrath, a well known novel. Once Alexie was in his teenage years, he made the brave choice of attending a public school outside of his reservation. He knew the education wasn’t sufficient in the reservation and knew immediately he needed outside assistance from a better institution. Once enrolled, he learned he was the only Indian at the school. That did not stop him from excelling academically and becoming the school’s basketball star. He later became his graduating class’ valedictorian. His success is what inspired his first novel, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian. Once he graduated high school, he was off to further his knowledge in college. He attended Gonzaga University in his town. Even though he was a brilliant scholar, the temptation for the party life style and alcohol was great. He suffered from alcohol addiction and transferred to …show more content…
I attended a public school, Leyendecker Elementary. Those years were the years that shaped the person I am today. Being young and having a sponge for a brain, I was quick to quick up new concepts and ideas from my teachers and my peers. I remember distinctly being called fat and other names by this one student, who always denied allegations and claimed he was my friend. This doesn’t vary much from Alexie’s first grade year, since he was also bullied. I was never one to fight or test the patience of others. Unlike his teacher who inspired him to become a doctor, I was never evoked to any particular type of career. I remember having presentations from the local police department and being intrigued by the lights on the shiny cars and protecting people; never to become a doctor. Being from a town where the primary ethnicity is Hispanic, I never experienced racism. However, during my middle school and early high school years, my school had a few Caucasian students. I frequently would witness them being called “cracker” or other racist remarks; I never did anything about it. I’m sure Alexie would have wanted somebody to defend him when he would be harassed for being Indian, which is why I often regret being a useless bystander. I was never around negative influences during my high school years, compared to when he was around his cousin who would abuse drugs. My friends were very well chosen