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

Institutional structures have the power to configure adolescent growth through repression and liberation. The capability that adolescents have to create their own destiny and choose their own social institution can be limited, but not impossible. In Trites article, “Do I dare disturb the universe?” the author argues that kids have personal power, whether they acknowledge it and use it to their own advantage or not. Michel Foucault declares that “Power is everywhere; not because it embraces everything, but because it comes from everywhere” (Trites). Power is inevitable, there will never be no such thing as power in this world; it will never diminish or fade. Trites also conveyed that, “power not only acts on a subject but, in a transitive

To fit into his new school, Junior decides to go to a basketball tryout, where he successfully makes the Freshman team. Now that his social status is better, Arnold has to get ready to face his old basketball team during a match, which he loses. When the second game against them comes around, he is even more determined to win, because to him it symbolises that he will never give up : “I have to prove [...] Never,ever,ever.” (page 186). He wins the match, gains back his Wellpinit friends, and makes friends at Reardan since he is now considered

The reader’s first impression of Arnold Friend is a regular-looking teenager with a bold attitude, lusting after Connie. He is of average height, wearing faded jeans and a white t-shirt, and is persuading Connie to get into his car with him. He is compelling

Arnold Friend or “an old fiend”, is a deceiving manipulative older male who could be your father and has his sidekick who is even older, Arnold stuffs his boots, has a picture of himself sprayed painted on the side of his car that looks like a pumpkin, who openly admits that he’s coming for you and that he stalks you, he’s essentially a sociopath who flirts by threatening you and your family. Arnold aims in on the frailty and aspirations of those around him in particular Connie's romantic fantasies, he utilizes

The many trials that he faced helped him to grow as a person and to gain the respect of his peers and teachers. One of the major issues that Arnold faced was how to deal with racism from his fellow students. Arnold responded in the only way he knew possible, by punching it in the face, or at least by punching Roger, the boy who teased him, in the face. This caused him to gain the fear and respect of Roger who was one of the toughest boys in the school and all the other boys that were in Rogers gang. Another problem that Arnold encountered was having no friends at his new school.

People often go through life without knowing what it’s like to be in another person’s shoes. Many outsiders view the United States today, as an undemanding country- with its citizens being able to have jobs and money whenever they need it and living life to it’s fullest. This is the commonly depicted idea of America, though this is not the lifestyle for many living here. Specifically, the Native American community has it the hardest currently. Native Americans have been consistently struggling with life since the Removal Act of 1830- causing mass groups of Natives to be forced onto reservation, ‘till the modern world of today- the 21 century. In the novel, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie, articles “Why Are Indian Reservations So Poor? A Look At The Bottom 1%” by John Koppisch,“The Absence of Native American Power” and “Drinking Behavior and Sources of Alcohol: Differences Between Native American and White Youths” they explain what the average Native American has to go through. Today, being Native American means to constantly struggle with poverty, alcoholism and loss of to try and get by in life.

Arnold Friend gets Connie to go with him after he tells her he will harm her family if she doesn’t comply. This story is important to read because it not only shows that these events can happen, but also to warn people and teach

Arnolds father was arrested for over drinking according to Jim Murphy, and his family name had lost much respect. So Arnold a confident, and strong man devoted his life to gain much of

At home, Connie is surrounded with the praise of her older sister while her mother is “always after” (Oates 655) Connie; enraging Connie as her mother constantly complains about her. To compensate for this feeling of annoyance, Connie enjoys to spend time with her friends especially with “older kids” (Oates 656) to get a feeling of acceptance, maturity, and respect. This foreshadows the events with Arnold Friend at Connie’s house as Arnold, an older man “thirty, maybe more” years, attempts to lure Connie away from her home with him. Connie’s desire to spend time with those older than her triggers Arnold to come to Connie’s house and forces Connie to make a very grown up decision.

In conclusion we see where a typical teenager who is always mean to her family and is also going through puberty is ripped away from her adolescence and dragged into adult world a little too early. Arnold Friend misunderstood her maturity and used it against her. Connie also took her parents for granted and that moment when she realised she needed them the most they weren't

“Nothing about Arnold Friend is genuine, except his violent intentions and his skill at psychological and physical intimidation. By the story’s end, Connie understands that she is not the confident flirt she thought, but a powerless pawn in the hands of a dangerous individual.” (Cormier)

Another topic of importance to the book is collective identity. Matsumoto and Juang (2013) describe identity as “the way individuals understand themselves and are recognized,” while collective identity is more specifically about people’s association with “social categories” (p. 357). Identity is considered fluid as it can change depending on the situation, its players, and each individual’s point of view (Matsumoto & Juang, 2013, pp.357-358). This explains how Arnold’s identity appears to morph throughout the book . For instance, Arnold’s early identification as a poor Indian kid juxtaposes Arnold’s later feelings of

Even after hanging out with a bunch of the American people, Arnold still feels attached to his own heritage. He loves his family and his best friend, Rowdy, and he feels that he needs to make amends with Rowdy. He was really scared that Rowdy would hate him and Junior would need to leave his old Indian self. Later he fixed his problems while playing "one-on-one (basketball) for hours..." (pg. 230) and they "didn't keep score" (pg. 230). Also, Junior cares about his family a lot. When two of them died in a row (his grandmother and sister), he didn't know what to do without them. He also thinks that Indians are forgiving of any kind of eccentricity (until the Americans came). "Gay people were seen as magical, too...Gay people could do anything. They were like Swiss army knives!" (pg. 155). He is pretty accepting of his heritage. He knows that he is Indian going to a white

As a result of his change of surrounding, Junior realizes that he can define his own identity and forge his own future if he works hard at achieving his own goals and prove to his tribe that he is more than a good-for-nothing Indian. The push and pull between being Arnold of Reardan and Junior of the reservation makes Arnold/Junior feel like a part-time Indian, and he must overcome his identity crisis to accept himself as he is. He describes his internal conflict when he says: “I felt like a magician slicing myself in half, with Junior living on the north side of the Spokane River and Arnold living on the south”(61). This proves that a constant change in surroundings can lead one to be torn between two contrasting identities, which for Arnold resulted in him losing his cultural identity and having trouble figuring who he really is.

Evidently, she has begun to question herself on what is real or not. This subconsciously starts to change Arnold’s world into reality and her own as fantasy. When Arnold first appeared at the door, Connie responded with a blunt and clear-cut “Who the hell do you think you are?”; compared to now where responses muddled and unsure like “I don’t know” or “things” (Oates, 4). As the conversation progressed, she uncomfortably backed farther and farther away into the kitchen, but the space of the room also lost familiarity as interior worlds broke down (Rubin, 69). To Connie, the next few scenes have become a turning point; a point where her childlike innocence has been taken and she is left vulnerable with an emptiness. With that vulnerability, Arnold is now able to say “you’re better than them because not a one of them would have done this for you,” which creates a greater impact now than if he said it when he first appeared at Connie’s door. At this time, Connie moves toward Arnold, not because he has gotten into her thoughts but because Connie believes this is the only way to escape.