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

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian (Diary) (2007), by Sherman Alexie, is a satirical semi-autobiographical novel, depicting the ordeals of a native American boy, as he leaves his Spokane Reservation in pursuit of breaking the bondage to the status quo that his people has been chained to for generations. On the other hand, Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano’s comedy-drama French film, Intouchables (2011), portrays the racial and economic division embedded in 21st century France via the homosocial relationship of two individuals contrasting in social status. However, both texts mutually utilizes a tragicomedy style to express their social commentary on similar concerns such as the erosion of egalitarian values within society, brought
Influenced by the 2005 Muslim riots in postcolonial France, the directors aim to express concerns of the resignation to economic fate, as experienced by migrant minorities. Driss is initially depicted as a typical African individual from the ‘Banlieues’, given the shot of the faded denim jeans and scuffed sneakers of his attire, in order to align with Parisian racial profiling. Philippe’s friend, Antoine, displays the presence of prejudice, as he reveals his views regarding Driss, warning and telling Philippe that “all your friends are worried about you”, and that “he was just out of prison … these street thugs have no pity”. The dialogue creates a parallel between Intouchables and Diary, where the lower class is constantly judged by dominant power. In the context of Parisian society, Intouchables presents similar concerns of exclusion between the division of the rich and the
Native Indians are ashamed of their identity due to the zeitgeist of Modern America, leading them to detach themselves away from society in reservations as a result of their sense of hopelessness against ‘white’ people. Alexie’s use of the epizeuxis ‘poor people’ in “My parents came from poor people who came from poor people … all the way back to the first poor people” emphasizes the absence of opportunity, which could have potentially diverged the family from the neverending cycle of poverty. Nevertheless, these circumstances encourage Junior to leave the reservation for Reardan, a white school, breaking the ideology of a lack of hope in the Indian community. In spite of having identity issues when Junior metaphorically sees himself as “bigfoot or a UFO”, he manages to make friends who accept him for the person he is, changing his attitude and perception, after realizing that the world is “not separated into Indian and White, but rather, assholes and not”. Approaching the end, Junior climbs “branch by branch” towards the top of the biggest tree on the rez, getting a “green, golden and perfect” view of the world, symbolising the extrication from his original identity constraints, whilst acquiring confidence in himself for the first time. Thus, Alexie communicates that given opportunity, minorities have the potential to change and escape their confinement