Final: Essay 1

Jasmine Carrera

English 102

March 7, 2014

MW 9:30-11:45

Courage for Change

            It is common that one is easily influenced by their surroundings.  Not only by actions, language, habits but even beliefs and morals.  Usually, if one is around a positive environment one’s life is said to be pleasant and happy.  The question is what if one isn’t in a positive surrounding, how can one change that?  Even just simply acknowledging that ones life isn’t what one would expect it to be takes a mature person.  Making that change to reach ones hopes and dreams disregarding their surroundings is what Sherman Alexie reveals in his book, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.  Alexie keeps the struggle of hope, change and gaining acceptance present within the rez by Junior, who takes the initiative to see further than what is going on around him, but to actually see his dreams in life. 

 Junior is just a teenager yet; he is faced with many hardships.  He was born with a couple of physical problems.  Those problems alone, would be enough for just a teen to handle but that wasn’t all Junior faced.  Junior also grew up with the presence of alcohol in his family although being poor, along with living on an Indian reservation where nothing much is expected out of his culture. However, disregarding all his problems he maintained hope.  To begin, Junior and his sister Mary are very different but they are also alike in the sense that they are both very intelligent which Mr. P recognized after revealing his sisters passion.  That passion was in writing romance novels. Mr. P advised, “You’re going to find more and more hope the farther and farther you walk away from this sad, sad, sad reservation”(43).  In contrast to his sister who had a passion, which was unknown to everyone but Mr. P. Mary didn’t hold on to her dream or make it possible.  Junior didn’t want to leave his dreams like Mary.  He wanted more for his life not just a hidden passion.  And Mr. P didn’t want another intelligent Indian on the rez to throw their dreams away.  Mr. P’s advise to Junior was that the only means to obtain his dream was by him leaving rez.  Hope was also kept within Junior through another family member, Grandmother Spirit. Grandmother Spirit was Junior’s advice advocate as well as the support he needed.  No matter what situation she was always there for Junior to give him the support he needed, “Think of all the people you are going to meet, that’s the whole point of life, you know?  To meet new people.  I wish I could go with you.  Its such an exciting idea”(156).  His Grandmother was part of the hope he needed to change his life.  Although his own best friend didn’t accept his choice to change, Grandmother Spirit was the only one who truly thought it was a good choice for him, his grandmother was there for him supporting his every move.

            After Junior received a wake up call to change his life, that change entailed a lot of bravery but he knew that change was key.  Junior decided to go to Reardan, where he had to adjust to that drastic change.  The illustration on page 57, although comedic explains how different Junior was as oppose to the white kids who attended Reardan and later feeling split and conflicted with his own kind.  Junior did what most of the Spokane Indians feared, leaving the Rez.  At first Junior thought less of his kind and felt as if him being Indian didn’t deserve anything let alone attend Reardan.  As he adjusted to the new environment, sacrifices and changes he had to make he began to like it, however he began to feel conflicted.  Conflicted in the sense that he was fitting in with his white classmates.  Junior was receiving good grades and doing well in school.  Keeping up surprised Junior because he more often than not, doubted himself.  On the other hand he felt like he was betraying his own kind even though the change was better and more beneficial to Junior than his life before.  Junior faced problems financially, within his family and with his own best friend Rowdy.  Junior on the other hand was adjusting to change better than Rowdy.  That shows maturity in Junior even in situations such as death.  He was improving on himself causing him to keep on going for a better opportunity at the chances he was taking.

            Acceptance was challenging for Junior to obtain, not just by others but accepting himself.   Of course starting a new school and making new friends is a complex task especially in Junior’s case because he was a poor Indian attending a wealthy white school.  His first step was gaining respect even though that came from a physical altercation.  With that respect came friends and Junior began noticing that they actually care and worry about him even when he isn’t there.  However most weren’t aware of Junior’s financial situation but when his friends at Reardan knew they took it well, “If you let people into your life a little bit, they can be pretty damn amazing”(129).  When his friends at Reardan found out about his financial status, they took it lightly and differently than Junior had expected.  In contrast, gaining acceptance from Rowdy was a difficult task.  From Rowdy ignoring him, telling him nasty things, rivalry games, blaming death on Junior, Rowdy eventually was able to accept his best friend, “Hardly anybody on this rez is nomadic [people who move around].  Except for you.  You’re the nomadic one”(229).  Rowdy is finally able to accept the change his best friend has made just like accepting Junior’s new identity.  Rowdy was finally able to realize how brave his best friend was to make a change to better his life.  Finally Junior accepted himself while on the top of the tree.  Climbing that tall tree took courage and trust to climb, “We could see from one end of our reservation to the other.  We could see our entire world.  And our entire world, at that moment, was green and golden and perfect”(226).  On Junior’s way up a branch could have snapped but didn’t.   Just like his journey to change.  He was very mature and courageous to take all those steps to the top.  The top of the tree being the change for a better life that Junior needed.  While at the top Junior realized how pretty the rez is.  From a different perspective he was able to acknowledge and accept that his home, culture and people are beautiful, disregarding all the negativity that the rez may have brought him. 

            With hope comes change and with change comes acceptance and with all of those together come tolerance and maturity and other essential components for a better life.  Junior went through an endless amount of obstacles through out The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, but still managed to let those obstacles fuel him to do better and not bring him down.  His ability to earn all of those characteristics while undergoing change in his life was extremely beneficial for him while on the road to reach his dreams.