Part Time Indian Heroism

Inspiration Defines Heroism

Heroes. Everyone wants to be a hero, but sometimes, people lose sight of what a true hero really is. It does not have to be someone who flies around and saves innocent people from perilous monsters. A hero is simply someone that inspires others. In Alexie’s The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Junior was a hero because he rose above the expectations the world placed on him through his courage, passionate determination, and sympathetic perception.

Junior was born in a desperate, hopeless place. His parents and community were withering in despair. However, Junior did not choose to languish like the rest of his community; he boldly left his comfort zone for a better education—facing obstacles from losing

his best friend to grieving lost family members. He forged a new path for himself, even though everything seemed lost and it could have deeply worsened. When Junior approached Reardan High School in the middle of a white town, his father exchanged some words with him, “This is a great thing…You’re so brave. You’re a warrior” (Alexie, 55). Junior, of course, originally dismissed that thought. He was anxious about what was going to happen when he stepped through the front doors. A true hero does not try to be a hero; they become one through their actions. And Junior, albeit unknowingly, became a hero the moment he stepped out of the car and headed towards Reardan High School. He ventured into unknown territory even though he could have relinquished his ambitions, which would have been far easier. When Junior stepped inside, he thought, “What was I doing at Reardan, whose mascot was an Indian, thereby making me the only other Indian in town?...Reardan was the opposite of the rez. It was the opposite of my family. It was the opposite of me. I didn’t deserve to be there.” Junior had no plan for what he was doing. He was no better off than a man groping around in the darkness. This is courageousness—the ability to strive for what one believes in no matter the consequences. Knowing of the pains it would cause him, Junior left his homeschool to receive an education at Reardan. Furthermore, one of the biggest struggles Junior faced was his crumbling relationship with Rowdy—who used to be his best friend. A major incidence of this was when Junior put his hand on Rowdy’s shoulder, “Rowdy spun around and shoved me. ‘Don’t touch me, you retarded fag!’ he yelled. My heart broke into fourteen pieces, one for each year that Rowdy and I had been best friends. I started crying…It was pain, pure pain.” After sacrificing his only true friendship so painfully, Junior still moved schools to Reardan. Rowdy had been Junior’s best and only friend. Additionally, Rowdy protected Junior from bullies and harassment. By moving to Reardan High School, Junior threw away the emotional and physical benefits he gained from his relationship with Rowdy. Now, Junior would have to make new friends in a new school. His success rate on the reservation was one friendship over fourteen years—so what would happen at the predominantly white Reardan High School? Yet, beyond these fears, Junior continued his pursuit for a proper education. Someone who overcomes fears is admirable and heroic. Again, Junior did not let his devastation stop him from reaching his main goal. He kept climbing forward as more problems arose because of his passion.
To keep moving forward, even if obstacles loom overhead, is determination and it was passion that induced Junior’s determination.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian showed all of the problems that arose in Junior’s journey. From poverty and alcoholism to bulimic semi-girlfriends, he had so many excuses to stop, but the passion of his dreams pushed him forward. Like a hero, Junior continued, determined to do well and build a greater future for himself. An example that showed Junior’s passion for education and desire to achieve his goals was when he threw an old geometry textbook at his teacher: “My school and my tribe are so poor and sad that we have to study from the same dang books our parents studied from. That is absolutely the saddest thing in the world…My hopes and dreams floated up in a mushroom cloud” (Alexie, 31). Junior clearly understood his disadvantaged education and he was very upset about it. He longed for a better education. Junior was passionate about education, because it would allow him to achieve his goals and break the depressing pattern he was trapped in. Bravery and determination are caused by passion, and heroes are very passionate about their actions. Passion clearly drove Junior when he walked to school, since he said, “Getting to school was always an adventure…Three times I had to walk all the way home. Twenty-two miles. I got blisters each time” (Alexie, 87). Putting all of this effort into simply going to school, Junior must have had

a great need for a proper education. Although school might not be his most enjoyable experience, Junior realized its importance. In addition to Junior’s rough commute, he faced hunger, poverty, and grievous deaths of family and friends. But through it all, because of his passion, Junior never stopped going to school at Reardan; he never gave up. This passion was what helped make him inspiring as a hero. He used his passion to drive his determination throughout all of the obstacles he faced. If Junior never was passionate about his goals, he would never have had the courage and determination needed to be a hero.
Although some might not perceive Junior as a hero because he only directly benefitted himself, one must think from the reader’s perspective.

Courage and determination directed by passion make Junior a very admirable character. By sympathizing with Junior, the reader feels that Junior is inspiring. An early example of when the reader pitied Junior was when his dog Oscar was shot, who Junior considered to be “a better person than any human [he] had ever known” (Alexie, 9). Oscar had been sick, and since Junior’s family did not have enough money to care for him, Oscar was euthanized. Furthermore, Junior felt defeated, saying, “A bullet only costs about two cents, and anybody can afford that” (Alexie, 14). Everyone, especially poor people, can be plagued with death and despair. From the very beginning of the story, where the reader learns that Junior had a brain disability to the dreadful way he experienced poverty, the reader sympathizes with him because they are truly sorry for him. The reader wants him to succeed, to grow, and, above all, to inspire the readers themselves. Junior becomes a hero to the reader for soaring above what his life entailed for him.

Readers are impressed and inspired by Junior’s courage, determination and passion. Heroes inspire people because of their actions more so than directly saving someone. Courage and passion that creates determination are heroic because they inspire other people to do that themselves. Junior is even more heroic, because, besides

his characteristics, he is easy to sympathize with. By sympathizing, the reader develops a stronger bond with Junior and therefore is more inspired by him. Inspiration, caused by admired characteristics, defines a hero.

Works Cited
Alexie, Sherman. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. New York: Little Brown and Company, 2007. Print.