Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian.

            The character of Junior is interesting and complex, but at the same time, he is a “normal” 14 year old boy. He is worried about popularity and girls, he’s not overly concerned about his grades, he is worried about what his future holds, and he is struggling with his identity. What is the most interesting aspect of Junior’s character to me is that he is able to critically evaluate both his own culture and the white culture that he becomes a part of at Reardan.

            Much of my life is very different from Junior’s, however there are some aspects that are similar. I live a block away from my high school and less than two miles from every school I’ve attended. I have a very supportive family, neither of my parents drink, and I have never experienced the financial strains that accompany Junior’s life. I have experience nowhere near the same amount of death in my life as Junior has and I have never had to change schools and leave friends behind. Most of the experiences that Junior shares, I was able to sympathize for him, but I was unable to put myself in his shoes beyond, “that would be awful.”

            The one area that he and I have in common is being a minority in the classroom. I went to a high school that was heavily Latino. I can empathize with Junior being the only one of his race in the classroom as I have been the only white person in a few classes. I had to deal with the stereotype that if I’m white, of course I think I’m better than they are, just as Junior had to deal with the stereotypes of his own race.

            The theme that Junior’s character helps me to identify is one of a social identity. Junior abandons his tribe to go to school in Reardan and when his sister runs off to get married, he feels as though it is his fault (90). Junior is more accepted back in his home after the death of his grandmother (160). All of the people on his reservation know what it is like to lose someone close to you and they feel the pain of losing Grandmother Spirit as well. This shows how the entire tribe seems to have a singular identity. The most obvious point that illustrates Junior’s identity within his tribe is at the final basketball game between Wellpinit and Reardan. Junior’s team wins, but he still cannot be happy because he can see his own people in pain from the loss. He knows that some of them hadn’t eaten, most of them don’t have supportive parents, and Rowdy may even be beaten by his dad for losing (195). At this point, Junior is unable to celebrate and even ends up throwing up and crying over the win (196), because of his connection to the Wellpinit team that lost.