Poverty, a prevalent issue in developed, first-world countries is often forgotten and hidden amongst the well off middle class and modern infrastructure in cities. This is a problem hidden in plain sight, yet many fail to notice. For many Native Americans, this harsh reality is their daily life. Poverty is a heavily discussed theme in Sherman Alexie’s novel, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian. Due to the underfunding of schools on the reserve, Junior decides to attend Reardan High, an all-white school where the majority of students are from well off middle class families, a stark contrast from the reservation. Despite potential backlash from his tribe and discrimination from teachers and students, Junior continues to attend Reardan.
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Initially, Junior keeps his struggles hidden and refuses to show any weakness. Although Junior had friends at Reardan, Gordy, Roger and Penelope, he doesn't allow them to see the side of him that struggles with poverty; no reliable transportation, not enough money for lunch, unable to pay for school activities, alcoholism within the family and lack of basic necessities. After the winter formal, Penelope confirms her suspicions that Junior is poor. Instead of leaving him, as he feared, she and Roger, who initially suspected his situation, sympathized with him and offered their help. Roger offered to pay for his pancakes, and drove him home when he doesn’t have a ride. When Junior allowed his friends to know his struggles, he realized that they cared. “Being a really good friend, in fact. She was concerned about me.” (Alexie 137) Junior then stated “If you let people into your life a little bit, they can be pretty damn amazing.” His friends later defended him when a teacher mocked him for missing class due to death in the family by dropping their textbooks and walking out the door. The loss and discovery of identity is another major development of Junior’s character. Throughout much of the book, Junior struggles with his identity. Caught between the Indian and white world, he questions who he is because both groups view and treat him differently. The Spokane Indians labelled him as a traitor while the white students at Reardan viewed him as their hero. Junior hid a part of identity which he deemed shameful; his poverty, out of fear that his friends will reject him. However, once they discovered his secret, they were accepted this part of him and were willing to help. At this point, even Junior refused to accept this aspect of his identity. Only later
Initially, Junior keeps his struggles hidden and refuses to show any weakness. Although Junior had friends at Reardan, Gordy, Roger and Penelope, he doesn't allow them to see the side of him that struggles with poverty; no reliable transportation, not enough money for lunch, unable to pay for school activities, alcoholism within the family and lack of basic necessities. After the winter formal, Penelope confirms her suspicions that Junior is poor. Instead of leaving him, as he feared, she and Roger, who initially suspected his situation, sympathized with him and offered their help. Roger offered to pay for his pancakes, and drove him home when he doesn’t have a ride. When Junior allowed his friends to know his struggles, he realized that they cared. “Being a really good friend, in fact. She was concerned about me.” (Alexie 137) Junior then stated “If you let people into your life a little bit, they can be pretty damn amazing.” His friends later defended him when a teacher mocked him for missing class due to death in the family by dropping their textbooks and walking out the door. The loss and discovery of identity is another major development of Junior’s character. Throughout much of the book, Junior struggles with his identity. Caught between the Indian and white world, he questions who he is because both groups view and treat him differently. The Spokane Indians labelled him as a traitor while the white students at Reardan viewed him as their hero. Junior hid a part of identity which he deemed shameful; his poverty, out of fear that his friends will reject him. However, once they discovered his secret, they were accepted this part of him and were willing to help. At this point, even Junior refused to accept this aspect of his identity. Only later