An Analysis of The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is a humours yet insightful book written by Sherman Alexie. The book is about a tale of a hydrocephalic Indian named Arnold Spirit (usually called Junior), living in an impoverished Indian reservation. Due to his medical conditions, he is always the underdog, lowest member of his society. Despite this he keeps his hope, expanding it beyond his hometown and into the wider community. Alexie incorporates many themes, such as poverty, friendship and hope, within Junior’s journey, and those ideas are most effectively conveyed with the literary technique of characterisation.
The theme of hope is prevalent throughout the novel, and Alexie conveys this message through the dialog of the characters. Back at Wellpinit, Junior does not realise the situation of the Indians. Mr P, his geometry teacher, tells him that “All [the] kids have given up … All [Junior’s] friends, all the bullies … We’re all defeated.” and that “[Junior] won’t give up.” Junior realises that he is the last person of his tribe who still can live with hope. So he leaves the reservation and enters Reardan High school. There, surrounded by those who have ambitions, he finds his own hope. Later on in the book, one can clearly see that Junior starts to understand this notion of hope and confidence, saying “we were supposed to be happy with our limitations. But there was no way [I was] going to sit still. Nope, [I] wanted to fly.” Through all the poverty and violence, Junior had kept his hope alive, and it flourished when he carried forward. This beautiful idea is most powerfully conveyed by Alexie through the characterisation of Junior.
In the novel, Alexie thoroughly explores the idea of poverty and its relationship to self-esteem through the characterisation of the Indians on the reservation. The reservation is extremely disadvantaged, “so poor and sad that [the children] have to study from the same dang books [that their] parents studied from.” All
The theme of hope is prevalent throughout the novel, and Alexie conveys this message through the dialog of the characters. Back at Wellpinit, Junior does not realise the situation of the Indians. Mr P, his geometry teacher, tells him that “All [the] kids have given up … All [Junior’s] friends, all the bullies … We’re all defeated.” and that “[Junior] won’t give up.” Junior realises that he is the last person of his tribe who still can live with hope. So he leaves the reservation and enters Reardan High school. There, surrounded by those who have ambitions, he finds his own hope. Later on in the book, one can clearly see that Junior starts to understand this notion of hope and confidence, saying “we were supposed to be happy with our limitations. But there was no way [I was] going to sit still. Nope, [I] wanted to fly.” Through all the poverty and violence, Junior had kept his hope alive, and it flourished when he carried forward. This beautiful idea is most powerfully conveyed by Alexie through the characterisation of Junior.
In the novel, Alexie thoroughly explores the idea of poverty and its relationship to self-esteem through the characterisation of the Indians on the reservation. The reservation is extremely disadvantaged, “so poor and sad that [the children] have to study from the same dang books [that their] parents studied from.” All