The Absolute True Diary Of A Part-Time Indian By Sherman Alexie

In the novel, “The Absolute True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” by Sherman Alexie, the main character, Junior is exposed to a number of traumatic events due to his problematic life. So far in the novel, Junior is seen as very frustrated by the continual cycle of poverty and his disabilities, yet he finds a way to contain his sorrow through the things he loves. However, complications still manage to find a way into his life on the reservation.

In the second chapter, Junior is faced with the death of his dog, Oscar due to him becoming really ill. When Oscar becomes sick Junior’s family could not afford to pay for the vet bill, which is seen in the line, “Junior, sweetheart,’ Mom said. ‘I'm sorry, but we don't have any money for Oscar.’ " Due

to the limited amount of money their family has, the only way they could ease Oscars pain was to end his life. Junior then proceeded to carry Oscar outside to put him down at the end of the chapter.
This scene in the chapter becomes the most traumatic event that Junior experiences so far and it is evident in the line, “So I heard the boom of my father's rifle when he shot my best friend. A bullet only costs about two cents, and anybody can afford that.” when Junior had to bear the pain of hearing his dad shoot the only living thing he could depend on.
For Junior, this distressing experience and fate of Oscar illustrates the physical reality of Junior’s cycle of poverty.

I think that as Junior had said earlier in the chapter, the worst thing about being poor is not being able to help the ones you love. So the reaction received from the main character in this chapter depicted how Junior’s character shows so much compassion towards his loved one. Oscar does not appear as a main character but he is unfortunately brought in the chapter to prove a point about hardships. However, Oscar’s character is able to show how effective an animal can be as a symbolic figure for destruction from poverty despite only appearing in the book once. While reading this excerpt, “It’s an ugly circle and there's nothing you can do about it,” it struck to me that Junior really desires the ability to ease the suffering around him on the reservation. As someone who owns a dog and sees their pet as their best friend like Junior, his situation develops into a circumstance that everyone can relate to. There has been abundance of times where my dog has suffered from an illness but the difference between Junior and I is that I have the power to end my dogs pain without causing any for myself. At the end of the chapter Junior helps me conclude to the point that the only solution to escaping poverty is death when he implies that in the line, “A bullet only costs two cents, anybody can afford

that.”

Leading to the next event that resulted in trauma for Junior, in chapter 3, the first of Junior’s bullying is witnessed when he struggles to deal with his tormentors.

Junior and his best friend Rowdy attend the Spokane Powwow celebration and runs into some trouble when Rowdy gets mad due to Junior laughing at him. However, because Rowdy wants to refrain from hurting Junior, he takes his anger out on a nearby van. Junior becomes afraid of Rowdy and going to jail so he runs away, but he runs into the Andruss Brothers.
This is where Junior’s bullying is first seen in the book. It is evident in the line, “Hey, look," one of them said. ‘It's Hydro Head.’ Yep, those bastards were making fun of my brain disorder. Charming, huh?” It is clear that the bullying is a result of Junior’s disabilities when the Andruss Brothers call him names poking at his hydrocephalus

condition.
This situation is recognized as traumatic once junior reveals his bullies are not teenagers, but 30-year-old adults. It is apparent that Junior struggles as the target of discrimination and much mocking in his life, but he has built a thick skin to be immune to this treatment. Despite the humor he uses to handle the bullying, it is clear that he has been traumatized by how adults would treat teenagers so harshly, as seen in the line, “What kind of men beat up a fourteen-year-old boy? Major-league assholes.” Due to the reason that adults are bullying Junior, I see it as symbolic representation that if adults are treating him that way, there is no hope to end his tormenting. That is because adults are viewed as the mature figures in society that are supposed to set good examples for young ones. Furthermore, I think this also connects back to how kids that were put through abuse in residential schools started a continuous cycle of abuse through their kids when they become adults, which is maybe where the Andruss Brothers get their derogatory characteristics. The author uses this situation to demonstrate the perception of bullying and how society is blindsided by the fact that bullying only happens to children. This exemplifies how bullying can become a much bigger complication once adults are involved. That is why this scene becomes such a significant factor on how traumatizing bullying is for Junior.