Juniors Struggles with Classism and Racism (The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian Analysis)

📌Category: Books, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
📌Words: 785
📌Pages: 3
📌Published: 22 January 2022

In Sherman Alexie’s bestselling novel, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian, he tells the story of a teenage Native American Indian named Junior. Junior comes from a poor family and lives on the Spokane Indian Reservation. Written in the first-person narrative, the novel allows the reader to see through the eyes of Junior. From this perspective, the reader can see the everyday struggles that Native Americans experience. Two main struggles for Junior are racism and classism. Although Junior is a poor, minority teen whose situation is complicated further by his medical problems, he overcomes the conditions he was born into by changing schools to improve his education, having a positive outlook about his situation, and befriending the students at his new school.

The main character, Junior, is affected by classism in several ways throughout the story. He struggles with being an impoverished Native American teen. There are many examples throughout the novel of quotes from Junior concerning his economic status. One of the most telling quotes is, “Poverty doesn’t give you strength or teach you lessons about perseverance. No, poverty only teaches you how to be poor” (13). Junior’s poverty affects him emotionally and makes him think poorly of himself. One small event that takes place in the first few pages of the novel is that Junior’s dog, Oscar, gets sick and is going to have to go to the vet. Junior’s family is so impoverished that they can not afford a vet bill. Junior cares deeply about Oscar and says, "He's really sick, Mom. He's going to die if we don't take him to the doctor….” “Junior sweetheart, I'm sorry, but we don't have any money for Oscar"(10). Since the family could not afford to have Oscar put to sleep at the veterinarian's office, Junior's father shoots him in their backyard. This makes Junior terribly upset about their financial situation and is a good example of how their poverty affects him. As Junior’s father was preparing to shoot the dog, Junior displays anger towards the situation when he says, “I wanted to hate Dad and Mom for our poverty. I wanted to blame them for my sick dog and for all the other sickness in the world”(11). All of these examples prove how Junior’s poverty had a detrimental effect on his adolescent well-being. 

Junior also struggles with racism on many occasions throughout this novel. Junior being a Native American Indian and attending an all-white school makes it difficult for him to fit in and make friends. Junior tells the reader, “None of those guys punched me or got violent, after all, I was a reservation Indian, and no matter how geeky and weak I appeared to be, I was still a reservation Indian, I was a potential killer”(63). A very typical stereotype about Native American Indians is that they are dangerous and could be killers. Junior is aware of how others view his ethnicity. Another example of racism experienced by Junior is at his visit to the dentist. Junior says “And what's more, our white dentist believed that Indians only felt half as much pain as white people did, so he only gave us half the Novocain”(2). It is clearly shown that Native American Indians were not treated the same as white people, even by professionals like dentists. These examples of racism, along with many others throughout the novel, show how Junior’s ethnicity causes unnecessary hardship.

One way Junior overcomes both racism and classism is by moving schools to better his education. Junior is extremely ambitious and he knows that he needs to move schools to be successful in life. Junior says, “The kids in Reardan are the smartest and most athletic kids anywhere. They are the best.” Then he tells his parents, "I want to go to Reardan”(46). They are very supportive of him in this decision because they want what is best for their son. Junior’s desire to go to the best school and his actions to make that happen definitely show how he overcomes racism and classism in the novel. Near the end of the book, Junior's basketball team is having their playoff game. After Junior wins his basketball game he states, “My teammates mobbed me. They lifted me up on their shoulders and carried me around the gym.”(194) Junior’s teammates who, at first, are mean and make racist jokes to him, are now embracing him as a friend and teammate. Over the course of his first year at Rearden, Junior's efforts to make friends and his participation in extracurricular activities help him to overcome racism and classism.

Sherman Alexie’s novel is an excellent example of how Native American Indians have been looked down upon for hundreds of years. Throughout the whole story, Junior is affected by being poor, having many medical problems, and most of all being a Native American Indian. Junior overcomes this oppression by changing schools to better his education, having a positive outlook about his situation, and befriending the kids at his new school. By taking these steps, Junior begins to make progress in overcoming racism and classism in his life.

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