The Absolutely True Diary Of A Part Time Indian Analysis

Don’t Drink the Bubbly
In the book The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie, many social issues regarding Native Americans are explained and discussed. The characters struggle with these issues throughout the book, such as racism, poverty as well as abuse, and are held back because of them. The battle with alcoholism and abuse in their families greatly affect Junior and Rowdy in their everyday lives.
During the book, Junior, the narrator of the book, suffers through the death of two family members - his sister, grandma, and his dad’s best friend - because of their alcohol abuse. Junior’s sister, Mary, burns to death in her trailer because she got drunk at a party and went unconscious; Eugene, his dad’s best friend,

got drunk with a friend, who shot Eugene in the head. Junior explains that the majority of Indians’ deaths are because of alcohol, and everyone in the tribe remembers those who have passed due to alcohol abuse once another is lost. In addition to the traumatizing deaths that Junior suffered through, he also has to deal with the daily issue of his dad’s alcohol addiction. Junior explains on multiple occasions that his dad took the last of the family’s money to go get drunk, such as on Christmas and after Mary’s death. Sometimes, Junior’s dad does not pick Junior up from school on account of being too drunk.
Along with Junior, Rowdy faces alcohol addiction and domestic abuse in his family. At the beginning of the book, Junior says, “His father is drinking hard and throwing hard punches,” (16) and near the end of the book - after Junior and the Reardan basketball team defeats Rowdy and the Wellpinit team - he says, “I knew Rowdy’s father was probably going to beat the crap out of him,” (196). Rowdy acts tough and puts on a brave face, but the alcoholism and abuse from his father still affects him. Not only does the daily fear of being beat traumatize him, put the constant being put down by his father damages his self esteem and dampens his willingness to pursue his dreams.
In this book, Sherman Alexie brings to light all of the major social issues that Native Americans still suffer through today. All of the characters face the issues of alcoholism, abuse, poverty, and racism, which limit them. What can we do today to try to eradicate these issues and support those who suffer from their results?