Analysis of Junior's Stress in The Absolutely True Diary Of Part Time Indian Essay Sample

Junior is a typical teenager living on a reservation. He was born with spinal fluid inside his brain that affected his quality of life for his first few years. His parents are addicted to drugs and alcohol which makes Junior a more independent teen, and not relying on his parents so much. In Absolutely True Diary , Junior faces the death of relatives and eventually learns to branch out, as well as keep his love for drawing and the people most important to him close.   

To start, Junior's conflict rises when he is experiencing more death in his life than others around him. Junior's grandmother died by being hit by a drunk driver. Junior was very close to her and talked to her about everything. After he and his family buried her, Junior says, “My grandmother had never drunk alcohol in her life. Not one drop. That's the rarest kind of Indian in the world” (158). Junior's grandmother being hit by a drunk driver was the worst possible way she could have died. Junior feels piles of grief, especially since she didn’t drink, it was just bad luck. She was also a very respected person on the reservation, which made her passing even harder on Junior and his family. The other people on the reservation knew not to mess with Junior during this time, since he was a target for bullying. To add, Junior is at school when his guidance counselor pulls him outside of his classroom to tell him his sister died. His dad then picks him up from school and Junior is laughing hysterically because he is so relieved his dad isnt dead too. He feels relieved when his dad shows up to school, “Junior, he said. What's wrong with you? You're alive! I shouted. You're alive! But your sister, he said I know I know I said. She's dead. But you're alive. You're still alive” (204). This burden in Junior's life hit him harder than he expected. Although Mary was so far away from him he still felt a strong connection with her as her brother. Later when he is talking to Rowdy he blames the death on him because he is “cursed.” From that point on, Junior continues to blame himself for the death  of his grandmother and sister. 

Furthermore, Junior's ability to draw helps him express himself and better deal with his grief. As Junior is introducing himself, he says he has fluid in his brain, which makes him look not so normal. As he is an easy target for bullying, drawing makes him feel free. When he is feeling down, he says, “I think the world is a series of broken dams and floods, and my cartoons are tiny little lifeboats” (6).  He says this because drawing gives him a relief like nothing else in his life. He draws for everyone in his life, whether they care about it or not because it makes him feel good. His lifeboats are his mind escaping, and relaxing while he draws. Junior thinks of his world as being broken. The dams represent all the bad stuff going on and the lifeboats represent the good. Continuing, Junior knows that Rowdy will have a hard time on Thanksgiving, because his parents aren't very nice to him. Even though Junior and Rowdy have not spoken in a while, Junior wanted to make Rowdy something, to show that he still appreciates him. On Thanksgiving, Juniors drops off a drawing at Rowdy’s house, “I missed him. So I drew a cartoon of Rowdy and me like we used to be, then I put on my coat and shoes and walked over to Rowdy's house and knocked on the door. Rowdy's dad, drunk as usual, opened the door” (103). Junior wants to make sure Rowdy knows he still cares about him just the same even though he is at Reardan now. He knows Rowdy can feel unsettled and unsafe being home, and Junior wants to be the person he can always count on no matter what. Even though Rowdy tears Junior's drawing up in the end, Junior wasn't mad because he knows Rowdy misses him. 

Finally, Junior learns to branch out but to also keep his loved ones close. Junior makes his final decision to tell Rowdy about his change of heart. Junior finds the best time to tell Rowdy and is nervous about his reaction. Junior decides to bite the bullet and just tell Rowdy, thinking he might also want to join, “So the day after I decided to transfer to Reardan, and after my parents agreed to make it happen, I told Rowdy. Rowdy's eyes narrowed. His eyes always narrowed right before he beat the crap out of someone. I started shaking” (49). Junior wants to explore places outside of the reservation, not stay somewhere he doesnt like for the rest of his school years. Reardan is somewhere Junior can go to start over. He can improve his education, make new friends,  and the best part about it is nobody knows anything about him, besides the fact that he's Indian. Nonetheless, Junior still wants to stay close with Rowdy, and does not want his choice in schools to interfere with that. As Junior starts his first day at Reardan, he feels unsettled. Right as he walks in  he “inspects'' all the kids who walk past, while everyone stares at him. Juniors first impression is that, “Reardon 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. I knew it,  all of those kids knew it, Indians don't deserve crap” (56). Junior thinks he doesn't belong at  Reardan because it is filled with white people and he is one of the only Indians. He feels judged and later on he learns that his poverty does not define him. 

This novel focuses on Junior's stress, as well as him being a typical teenager. Junior experiences loss and devastation, and helps ease these feelings by drawing and branching out. In Absolutely True Diary, Junior faces the death of relatives and eventually learns to branch out, as well as keep his love for drawing and the people most important to him close.