The main character in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is 14-year-old Junior. He wants a life different than the one he has on the reservation and he is determined and driven to get what he wants. Junior said something early in the novel that I found important:
"But we reservation Indians don't get to realize our dreams. We don't get those chances. Or choices. We're just poor. That's all we are" (13).
Junior is not your stereotypical Indian, though. He went to show that you don't have to be one of those people who don't get to realize their dreams. It definitely takes a took of courage to be a "Junior." I mean, he said it himself when he left his school to attend Reardan, he said there's no turning back once you do that. He referred to it as being on a "one-way bridge." He knew he couldn't leave the tribe and then turn around and come back right away.
It's hard not to root for Junior- he's funny, brave, and extremely hard-working- you naturally want him to succeed. He stops at nothing to get what he wants and he just deserves success.
I grew up in Homer, NE and this is six miles away from Winnebago, NE, which has the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska. For that matter, I'm familiar with the Indian reservation just because we lived so close and in junior high and high school we always played athletics against Winnebago Public School. There are many stereotypes about Indians and most of them are that they are drunk and lazy. Yes, that can be true- as can any stereotype about any race of culture. Although, like Junior, there are many Indians who are nothing like this stereotype. Some who completely defy all odds. There are many who are very dedicated to their heritage and want to make a difference in the lives of others. The St. Augustine Indian Mission and school is in Winnebago, NE and and I've been to their church quite a few times. It's very interesting to experience their heritage and the traditions they live by. There are so many ornate items and bold and bright colors present. It's interesting and important to learn about different cultures, such as theirs. This just goes to show that people can break away from the mold- Junior proved this too.
Overall, Junior made a very big decision at a fairly young age. He knew he wanted a different life and had to risk the backlash of this in order to get what he wanted. He's very admirable and a chracter I definitely respect.
I agree with you about Junior being admirable and a character of respect. I wish we could find out how he does the other three years of high school and if he goes to a small college to play basketball.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your experience, Tess. One of the ways we can rid ourselves of stereotypes is to acknowledge that yes, people do engage in the behaviors by which we've defined a cultural group, but there are others who defy the definition, which means that the definition doesn't hold. And we just have to repeat, repeat, repeat, until we bury the stereotype in the trench we've made. Thanks for your post.
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