Essay On The Absolutely True Diary Of A Part-Time Indian By Sherman Alexie

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What would you do if you lost your family ? How would you react if situations like bullying and racism were in your life? These hardships are just some of the obstacles Arnold had to face in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. Born into a poor family with an alcoholic father, Junior struggled to survive. He describes a childhood where he was constantly bullied, and socially awkward. His life changing moment was when Mr. P, his geometry teacher, tells him that he is the only one who has hope, and he needs to get out of the rez. Upon hearing this, Arnold switched to Reardan, an all white school; there, he met a girl, got on the varsity basketball team, and was very successful in school. As his life progresses,…show more content…
Unlike the rest of the indians in his reservation; he has hope. However, that leads to him to confuse himself and others about whether he is really an indian. When Arnold switched schools, people on the rez “cataloged” him as a traitor. As they were talking, Arnold tells Gordy, “They call me an apple because they think I’m red on the outside and white on the inside” (132). Arnold faces the difficult challenge of trying to be different than the rest of his peers, but at the same time, being part of a community. His perception of himself also confuses him. Arnold is compared to an apple because the red skin of the apple represents Indian; he is an Indian, but at the same time, he doesn’t act like one. Instead, he acts like a White, which is represented by the white flesh of the apple. He wants a better future, tries to find hope, and most of all, he wants to know who he is. Through wanting this, Arnold defies the racial stereotype put on him. He realizes that just like an apple, he has different colors in him, but at the same time, he is still one. The graveyard was another place where Arnold was able to reflect and self discover. During those times of silence and hatred, he realized something very important. He thought to
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