Who Is Sherman Alexie's The Absolutely True Diary Of A Part-Time Indian

Sherman Alexie's comic novel, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, follows Junior, a 14 year old Indian boy, who lives on a Spokane Indian Reservation with his two parents and his sister, Mary. Junior, a young cartoonist, was unfortunately born with many medical issues and is picked on by many people on the Rez, except his best friend Rowdy. At first, he seems to be this shy, little boy who would do anything to not be made fun of. The novel shows him getting beat, teased and tormented on his Reservation. Eventually, he takes a stand in his life and decides to better his education by enrolling in an all white school in Reardan. Despite being called a traitor by his own kind, Junior continues to live a double life, balancing both

the Reservation and his school in Reardan. In the novel of Part-Time Indian, Sherman Alexie creates a sensational story that helps dramatize the change within Juniors popularity, confidence, and self-esteem that ultimately results in his success and utter happiness.
As the novel begins, Junior is introduced as this hopeless, young boy that appears to be listed as an outcast in his society.

On the reservation, many of the boys teased him for his appearance and eventually he began to look at himself the same way; a helpless, weird Indian boy. Specifically he states, “I looked like a capital L walking down the road” (3), referring to his big feet and small body. Because of the constant teasing Junior experiences, he reluctantly believes what people say about him and immediately thinks lowly of himself as a result. All Junior wants is to be accepted somewhere. He decides to leave the Reservation school and transfers to a school in Reardan. This being an all white school, Junior the Indian boy didn’t quite fit in at first. When he arrives, he has a hard time particularly with the jocks that paid special attention to him. Unlike the boys on the Rez, they did not get violent, but instead called him many names, such as “Chief”, “Red-Skin”, “Sitting Bull”, “ Squaw Boy” and “Tonto” (63). Throughout this difficult time, he attempted to cope with the treatment he experienced and persevere through these tough social interactions. While trying to integrate himself into Reardan’s community, Junior comes across Gordy, a genius white boy, whom is stuck in the same situation as him. Both of these characters show qualities that place them as outcasts in their school and they proudly wear it. When Gordy and Junior first meet, Gordy says “I’m quite aware of my differences. I wouldn’t classify them as weird” (93). In a way, Junior needs Gordy for reassurance; afraid that he is too different and weird to ever fit in. Even though Junior and Gordy are different from most kids in their school, both characters seem to make a difference in their small community. Specifically, Junior feels as if he is living a double life, “half Indian in once place and half white in the other” (118). Sick of constantly juggling two lives, Junior eventually builds up

confidence to ask out Penelope, a pretty, popular girl that attends his new all white school. Because he thought of himself as weird and different from everyone else, he was missing out on what would really make him happy. At Reardan, Junior discovers a new part of himself that places him as a important addition to his school. Because he started dating Penelope, he becomes popular; something he never thought he would be labeled as. As he reaches a more important role at Reardan high, Junior builds himself up to be a confident and popular athlete, rather than a nerdy, short Indian boy.
Junior, being the new boy in school, doesn’t believe in himself and neglects the possibility of being a key player on the high school basketball team. When he first arrives at Reardan, he clearly doesn’t fit in with most of his peers. Because he does not quit fit in with his classmates, he feels as if he will also not have a place on the basketball team. His passion is basketball and he considers not playing to settle for being the weird, Indian boy. In short, Junior persistently tells himself that he will not make the basketball team, but his father later convinces him to try out. He describes himself as “short, skinny, and slow” (136) on his first day of tryouts. Junior is labeled as the weird, short Indian boy and is automatically outcasted by many kids in his school. Although he doesn’t expect to make the basketball team, the coach recognizes his outstanding effort and skills and allows him to join the varsity basketball team. As Junior tells about his excitement, he recalls “Coach said I was the best shooter who’d ever played for him. And I was going to the secret weapon” (142). Being the “secret weapon” was Juniors ultimate goal. He just wanted to fit in somewhere and the basketball team was truly the place for him. Throughout the games to which they faced tough opponents, specifically the reservation school, Junior was clearly the player of most importance. The team depended on him and trusted him to be out on the court representing Reardan. Junior even says “I wasn’t expected to be good so I wasn’t. But in Reardan, my coach and other players wanted me to be good. They needed me to be good” (180). He was never considered good at basketball so he never thought himself as good, but Reardan changed his perspective. Alexie highlights Juniors personality change through his now prominent role on the basketball team. Throughout the novel of Part Time Indian, Junior develops qualities that never thought he would inherit and uses them to become successful and happy with his place in Reardan.
Through his growth in popularity and success in his new school, Sherman Alexie conveys Junior’s drastic transformation from being a odd, quiet Indian boy to becoming a confident and happy young adult. The novel follows Junior on his journey to finding his place in his community. At first, he was a shy, weird boy who wasn’t anything like the typical high school student. Because of his differences, he was harrassed and bullied by the people on his Reservation, but this soon changed. Junior soon realizes that he will never be happy on the Rez and leaves his home to attend school in Reardan. Although he doesn’t immediately become apart of Reardan’s community, he eventually becomes an important and likeable person to many of the students. Sherman Alexie specifically chose Junior to transform into a person of great importance because of his lack of confidence in himself. Ultimately, Alexie suggests that even people that are considered odd or different still have a great importance in their community.