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

The world is full of groups and communities. Because of this, we often have to manage collective identity with individuality. In the novel, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie the main character, Junior, has to balance being loyal to his community and embracing his individual dreams. When Junior is on the reservation he describes himself as being half-white, and at his majority white high school, he feels half-Indian. Despite the conflict between these two groups and feeling like the rope in a game of tug-of-war, Junior retains much of his individuality. Near the beginning of the book, Junior decides to transfer to Reardan, the high school in a white town 22 miles away from Wellpinit. While his parents are supportive of this, his best friend, Rowdy, doesn't agree. When he realizes Junior is serious about transferring he starts throwing punches and accusing him of being a “white lover”. Rowdy is not alone in his betrayal either. When the news spreads, the rest of the …show more content…
For one, the hydrocephalus he speaks about during the first few pages of the book is an experience no one else around him identifies with. Being born with brain damage, too many teeth, a lisp, and other physical effects keeps him apart from everyone else on the reservation and Reardan. Furthermore, Junior is an avid artist. He explains the reason he draws when he says it’s his way to “talk to the world." In addition, Junior appears to value school and learning more than the average kid. This shows when he throws his geometry textbook across the room for being outdated, which he would not have done if he didn’t want to learn. He even corrects his teacher at Reardan when he gets a fact wrong, and mentions many times how much he adores books and reading. This suggests he keeps his individuality strong regardless of belonging to many different