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Parental Analysis in The Absolutely True Diary of A Part Time Indian

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Parental Analysis in The Absolutely True Diary of A Part Time Indian
Humans feed off of conflict. From conflicts such as war and oppression, to reality TV shows and typical school drama, conflict continues to enrapture most everyone. Therefore, everyone experiences conflict, and in turn, everyone is impacted by it. In the novel The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie, the protagonist, Jr., is greatly influenced by a conflict within his own household. Though Jr. is loved dearly by both of his parents, his father’s continual failure to be wholly involved in Jr.’s life affects him greatly. Through Jr.’s conflict with his drunken, absent father, he becomes more motivated to do better, but is also taught to love unconditionally. Sometimes, one’s situation requires them to learn a lesson the hard way. The conditions around which Jr.’s life revolves unfortunately guarantee this struggle. Jr.’s father, while loving, battles with an alcohol addiction, similar to most of the adults on the reservation. Yet, unlike the other adults on the reservation, this dependence on alcohol does not make Jr.’s father violent or abusive, but rather causes him to withdraw. Jr.’s father fails to be fully present in Jr.’s life. Jr. states, “Whenever my father isn’t off on a drinking binge, he spends most of his time in his bedroom, alone, watching TV”(39). This portrays how even when Jr.’s father is in the home, he voluntarily removes himself from his son’s life. Sadly, this perpetuates Jr.’s idea that he is an outcast, unwanted. Nevertheless, this only drives Jr. to work harder to achieve the impossible. Though his father’s alcoholism continues to be a negative presence in Jr.’s life, it also serves as a motivator for Jr. to achieve the things his father did not have the opportunity to. When Mr. P goes to Jr.’s home and confronts him about the book throwing incident, he continues to restate the importance of Jr. leaving the reservation. Mr. P tells Jr., “You kept your hope. And now, you have to take your hope and go somewhere
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