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Essay on the first 5 chapters of the absolute true diary of a part time indian
The absolute true diary of a part time indian essay on the first 5 chapters
Essay on the first 5 chapters of the absolute true diary of a part time indian
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Arnold is the main character in the book The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. Rowdy is the character who Arnold thinks is his best friend. Little did Arnold know Rowdy wasn't the friend good friend, he thought he was but he was the worst friend possible. Rowdy is not a good friend to Arnold because all throughout the book Arnold is bullied by rowdy and he doesn't open up to Arnold emotionally. Also, Rowdy isn't a good friend because he is a bad influence on Arnold. Firstly, Rowdy is not a good friend to Arnold, he bullies and abuses him all throughout the book. When Arnold breaks the news to rowdy that he has to leave the reservation and he was not happy with the news he was receiving. Rowdy reacts violently and Arnold “got punched hard in the face by his best friend” (Alexie 52). * This shows that Rowdy is not a good friend because he physically abuses and repeatedly bullies Arnold. Secondly, Rowdy doesn't open up emotionally to Arnold like Arnold did to him. All throughout the book Arnold told Rowdy Growing up rowdy, always protected Arnold with violence and continues to act out. When Arnold gets bullied and beat up by the Andruss triplets instead of rowdy moving on he sees the need to get revenge on them. Rowdy hides at their camp till three in the morning, then sneaks in while the triplets are sleeping and does “about the worst thing you can do to an Indian guy” he “shaved off their eyebrows and cut off their braids” (Alexie 22). By doing this it shows that Rowdy is a bad influence to Arnold because he is only leading him into more trouble in the future. If Arnold follows in rowdy's footsteps he will wind himself up in a lot of trouble that he can't get out of without the help of Rowdy. Therefore, this shows that rowdy is not a good friend to Arnold because he does not care about what could happen to his friend if he follows his
Though, a significant area of difference comes from the description of his height and his charade to mask his small build. In the written version it speaks of Arnold being relatively wobbly or clumsy on his feet, the reason being his height, Arnold actually stuffs his rugged leather boots in order to appear taller than he truly is. Specifically, as he goes to step up on the front porch, “She looked to see Arnold Friend pause and then take a step toward the porch, lurching. He almost fell. But, like a clever drunken man, he managed to catch his balance. He wobbled in his high boots and grabbed hold of one of the porch posts.” The film never really gives any insight or physical cues that Friend isn’t steady on his feet, while the written rendition gives a brief cue but the true nature of his unsteady anor can only be discovered through reading the “Pied Piper of Tuscon” the article that led to the story. In every other aspect, Arnold Friend’s characterization is a direct match between the movie and story, down to the details of his car and suave
In the novel, he shows toughness, courageousness, and the ability to overcome obstacles. Arnold shows these three components by writing comics and playing on the high school basketball team. He uses these traits to be the person he is in the book. Arnold proves that even when the odds may be against you, you can still fight for what you
The depiction of Arnold Friend runs parallel to the common conception of the Devil. Many aspects of his outward appearance, as well as his behavior, contribute to this by portraying him in a sinister manner. His nose is "long and hawklike" and he has a "slippery smile." His "greasy" boots don't fit him right, "as if his feet [don't] go all the way down." The stereotypical Beelzebub is often seen with hooves. When he draws 'his sign' – the sinister letter X – in the air, it "stays there, almost still visible," as if he supernaturally burnt it into the air. The numbers appearing on Arnold's car, 33, 19, and 17, exclude the number 18. The 18th letter of the alphabet is "r", and removing that letter from his name presents "an old fiend". Arnold knows about Connie's family, where they are at that moment, and what radio station she is listening to. This can be explained logically by the fact that that he is a stalker. As an allusion, the Devil is omniscient. Arnold also promises not to enter Connie's house unless she picks up the phone. This exemplifies the classic adage, "The Devil won't come into your home until you invite him in." Finally, the fact that Arnold is preying on someone nearly twenty years his junior (physically inferior and easily overpowered) and the methods he uses to finally convince her to come with him (threatening her family and her home) portray him as a genuinely despicable character, worthy of the epithet "Devil," if not its lit...
Arnold Friend could possibly be a symbol of the devil. Friend tries to be kind and tells Connie he will take care of her and everything to try and get her to come with him. Oates says, “His whole face was a mask, she thought wildly, tanned down onto his throat…”; this could symbolically be connected with the devil. The devil would never be out in the open he would be in disguise. McManus also talks about how Friend is related with the devil. “Friend’s suggestion is that if Connie’s house was on fire, that she would run out to him, may also suggest symbolism. Fire being associated with devil.” This is a great symbol of Friend and the devil because fire is most definitely associated with the
Arnold Friend imposes a devilish and menacing pressure upon Connie, who ultimate gives in, like a maiden entranced by a vampire's gaze. His appearance, sayings, and doing all combine to form a terrifying character that seems both reasonable and unlikely at the same time. There are people like Arnold Friend out there, not as incoherently assembled, and still he seems an extraordinary case of stalker. A small and even insignificant aside about his name, Arnold Friend, is that with the R's his name would read A'nold F'iend, or "An Old Fiend" i.e. the devil. But, regardless, Arnold Friend is very precisely portrayed as a corrupter of youths and a deflowerer of virgins. Without his useless sweet-nothings or his strange balance problem, he would come across less dangerous and alluring.
The narrator implies that Arnold Friend is Satan by giving certain clues that the reader can easily deduce. The name that Oates gives to the character is one hint to the reader: “Connie looked away from Friend's smile to the car, which was painted so bright it almost hurt her eyes to look at it. She looked at the name, Arnold Friend. She looked at it for a while as if the words meant something to her that she did not yet know” (583). The name “friend” was commonly used by the Protestants to refer to evil or the devil. Moreover, Arnold Friend's appearance also hints that he is Satan: “There were two boys in the car and now she recognizes the driver: he had shaggy, shabby black hair that looked as a crazy wig”(583). The narrator emphasizes the “wig” to make the reader think that he is wearing it for a purpose, which is hide his devil’s horns. Also, the fact that Arnold Friend's eyes are covered is another stragedy use by Oates to confirm the assumption of the diabolic presence: “ He took off the sunglasses and she saw how pale the skin around his eyes was it, like holes that were not in shadow but in...
Arnold Friend takes advantage of Connie’s teenage innocence for something of a much more sinister purpose. Connie thought she had it all figured out until Arnold Friend came into her life and up her driveway on one summer, Sunday afternoon and made her realize how big and scary the world can be. Arnold embodies everything that Connie has dreamed about in a boy, but is in the most malevolent form of Connie’s dream boy. She always wanted to get away from her family because she has always felt as if she didn’t belong and Arnold can make this possible just in the most predatory way. She always thought sex would be sweet (and consensual) and that she would be in charge of how it progressed, Arnold strips her of the authority she’s held in any other encounter with a boy. The moral of the story is always be careful what you wish
Lutz, Norma Jean. Benedict Arnold: Traitor to the Cause. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 2001.
The mysterious Arnold Friend goes to Connie’s house. He tries to convince Connie to take a ride in his car. Most people will deny the offer, but seeing as though Connie is unruly, she is easily persuaded by Arnold . Arnold deceives Connie with his charm and ride. He takes her to a place where she does not know. We find that Mr. Friend is not so friendly, but a sick soul with a loose tongue. In addition to this I agree with author Christina Marsden Gills of “Short Story Criticism, vol.6” when she explains that:
When approached by Arnold Friend at first, she was skeptical but was still charmed by him. As she began to feel uneasy, Connie could have used her intuition to realize that he was trouble. Once she had been engaged by Arnold, her life was over. The influences on Connie and her lack of instilled reasoning led to her down fall. Her family’s fragmented nature was echoed in her actions; consequently, she was unable to communicate with her parents, and she was never was able to learn anything of significance. She felt abandoned and rejected, because no one took the initiative to teach her how to make good decisions. Connie was unable to mature until she was faced with death and self sacrifice. In the end, her situation made it difficult for her to think and reason beyond the position she was in. By not being able apply insight, she fell into Arnold Friends lure. Misguidance by the parents strongly contributed to Connie’s
His appearance “was much older—thirty, maybe more..he had shaggy, shabby black hair that looked crazy as a wig... his boots was at a strange angle, as if his foot wasn't in it. It pointed out to the left, bent at the ankle”(Oates 4-5). The revealing of his true appearance reveals Arnold Friend to be something non-human and eerie. Towards the climax of the story, Arnold Friend continues to show signs that he is evil when he threatens Connie by saying he would enter the house and attack her if she were to try and use the phone, however he never once actually enters the house. As stated in the index of TV Tropes, “In various mythologies is the idea that supernatural beings — such as vampires, ghosts, demons, witches, what have you — cannot enter into a home unless invited to do so. Often such beings will try to gain entrance by tricking a person into believing they are someone else” (TV Tropes). Arnold Friend’s behavior resembles the behavior as one of the supernatural beings that cannot enter the house without an
First, there is the physical description of Arnold Friend. His "shaggy, shabby black hair that looked crazy as a wig," (591) his nose, "long and hawk-like," (592) and his eyes that "were like chips of broken glass" (592) all suggest that he is evil in some way. "His whole face was a mask, [Connie] thought wildly, tanned down onto his throat but then running out as if he had plastered make-up on his face but had forgotten about his throat" (596). This indicates that Friend is not of human race, and he is using the mask to cover his face and shield his true identity from Connie. Also, Arnold's boo...
Arnold Friend’s attempt to lure in Connie shows that he is not just any supernatural force, he is the devil himself. Connie does not view Arnold Friend as the devil, because she is oblivious to her own surroundings and is very easily fooled. When Arnold pulls into the driveway, Connie decides to make herself look nice and chat with the stranger. Instead of calling the cops, she puts herself in a dangerous place that eventually kills her, which is the devil himself. Arnold Friend can be considered the devil through his appearance, his actions, his speech, and his supernatural visions/clues.
First, Arnold Friend’s physical traits portray him as Satan. Oates says that “There were two boys in the car and now she recognized the driver: he had shaggy, shabby black hair that looked crazy as a wig and he was grinning at her,” (Oates 316). The hair could actually be a wig hiding something that he didn’t want someone to see. Maybe he was hiding his devil horns. Also when he was standing Connie had mentioned that “He was standing in a strange way, leaning back against the car as if he were balancing himsel...
Daisy was Nick’s second cousin once removed, and Tom Buchanan was Daisy’s hulking brute of a husband and classmate of Nick’s from college. Jordan Baker, a prominent tennis player of the time, was staying with Daisy and Tom. As they sat down and chatted, it was Jordan who mentioned Gatsby, saying that she had been to one of his extravagant parties that he held every weekend. The four sat down to dinner when Tom received a phone call, which Daisy suspected to be from Tom’s mistress. Afterwards, Daisy and Nick talked and Jordan and Tom went out to walk about the grounds. Daisy talked about her little daughter and how when she was born Tom was not even there and she had wished out loud that she would be a fool, for that was the only way she could ever be happy. The four met again at the house and then Jordan went to bed and Nick went home.