Both Sides Of Death In Junior's Family

Both Sides of Death
The death in Junior’s family affects and changes more than just his family. He helps others realize what his life and death are actually like. Death works on many levels. It even affects people outside of the family. Death gives people a new perspective on life and allows for more empathy towards others.
Junior’s grandmother was important to everyone in the village. When Junior’s Grandmother died it impacts a lot of people. “ We were stunned because almost two thousand indians came that day to say goodbye.” (Alexie 159). Because of this Junior realizes that his grandmother wasn’t just important to him, she was important to two thousand more people. This is also good for Junior because he had just changed schools and was being called a disgrace and a traitor but people leave him alone because of this. It also makes Junior realize that his grandmother was an amazing person and he should be proud of that. Junior’s Grandmother was important to people from out outside of the village. At the funeral more than just indians come. “ Yep, about two thousand indians (and a few white folk) sat and stood on the football field as we said goodbye to the greatest Spokane indian in history” Also, “My grandmother knew billionaire Ted” (Both 161) Because of this, Junior feels even better about his grandmother and

starts to feel even a little proud until he finds out about Ted. “We’d expected this white guy to be original. But he was yet another white guy who showed up on the rez because he loves indian people SOOOOOOOO much.”(162) Because of this, it does not help Junior but it is still reassuring to him to know that his grandmother was so important.
People at Reardan learn what death is like from Junior. After Junior’s Grandmother and Eugene die people at Reardan can easily tell how depressing and horrible death is to people. “The classroom was quiet. They all knew my family had been living in a grief-storm. And had this teacher just mocked me for that?” (175) This is a turning point for lots of people in Junior’s class. It seems that they feel insulted for Junior and act upon it themselves “Instead it was Gordy who defended me. He stood up with his textbook and dropped it.” (175) Because of this, Junior gains a new ‘wave’ of confidence, and so does his classmates, as they all follow suit. Because of his grandmother dying, he gets closer to all of his friends and they know how to help and support him.
Oscar dying was good for Junior.

At the time, Oscar dying was the worst thing that could possibly happen to Junior, but it helped him. It helped him because it woke him up to reality. As Rowdy says “It’s not like anybody’s going to notice if you go away.”(15) Rowdy helps Junior realize that he, in fact, is not needed in the tribe and Junior realizes this. Because of this, whenever someone else died in his family Junior knew he had to “gut it out” (15). For example when his sister dies, he doesn’t know what to feel. He just laughs. The laughing helps him “gut it out” and it is good for him. It makes him feel better and not stay sad and

depressed.
Death gives Junior confidence. At his sister's wake, he runs into Rowdy, “I reached out and touched Rowdy’s shoulder.” At the beginning of the book, Junior never would’ve been able to do this. Also ot the final basketball game, “I TOOK THE BALL RIGHT OUT OF HIS HANDS” (193). Also, if this had happened earlier, he never would've been able to do this. He was able to because of death. All of his friends knew what a hard time this was for him and they supported him. They helped him stay positive. After he and his classmates walk out of the classroom he says “It all gave me hope. It gave me a little bit of joy.” Junior’s friends are the best things for Junior to be around when he is depressed.
Death is inevitable and hard to deal with. How Junior dealt with death was the best way for him and the death in his family even affected and changed people outside his family. Junior didn’t find a way to counter all the bad things that come from death, but he still managed to fight through it and he learned a lot from it also. But more thaen anything he succeeded in changing himself and his friends.