Part Time Indian Stereotypes

When interviewed Sherman Alexie said “It’s [alcoholism] not a stereotype,it's a damp, damp reality. Native Americans have an epidemic rate of alcoholism”(Alexie, 23:30). Sherman Alexie is the author of The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (Part-Time Indian). Stereotyping mainly is the perceived notion especially for a group of people. However, there are unfortunate times when a stereotype perceived about a group of people is correct, similar to the case of Alexie when voicing his opinions about his race, when alcoholism is the reality. He expresses these opinions in his book Part-Time Indian where the main character Junior must cope with three severe losses of close family and friends. In addition, the character feels he is a part-time
For example, in the book Part-Time Indian Junior's best friend Rowdy spends a significant amount of his time at Junior’s home because “[Rowdy’s] father is drinking hard and throwing hard punches…[his] house is a safe place, so Rowdy spends most of his time with us”(Alexie 16-17). Alexie shows the effect of alcoholism on Junior’s tribe, specifically his best friend Rowdy’s father. This shows the hurt and pain that Rowdy and others must undergo around alcoholics. Also, these alcohol problems are not specific to native americans, in fact it affects the entire american population because according to a study done in 1990 “one of every four families has problems with alcohol”(Heffner 3). In addition, Alexie goes further to show the extent of the damage alcohol can cause saying “I knew five or ten or fifteen more Spokanes would die during the next year, and that most of them would die because of the booze”(Alexie 216). Alexie portrayed the damp reality of what happens on a global scale, to the overwhelmingly unfortunate truth of what happens in Junior’s tribe, of death due to alcohol. Also, he created a serious atmosphere that came with this social issue as it takes place in a graveyard and both of his parents are with him, and sober, despite both being alcoholics. Alexie was able to create a serious atmosphere
According to Booklist Alexie is able to portray Junior as a mentally tough, poor, underprivileged indian student in a white school, and in the school is able to “level his eye at stereotypes both warranted and inapt”(Chipman). Two of these social issues are alcoholism and stereotyping. Stereotyping is an unfortunate issue that occurs on a global scale. However, it occurs in smaller scales, for example when asked my ethnicity I answered asian, but they refused to believe me as the stereotypical asian to them was only a person of chinese descent, even though India as well as many other countries come together to form the continent of