Theme of Courage in The Absolutely True Diary Of A Part-Time Indian Essay Example

Courage, the ability to do something that frightens one. It is an emotion but also an act. To some people it is easy for them to have courage while others struggle to bring it forth. Not everyone is constantly courageous but people have sparks that change lives. The concept of courage was shown multiple times in the novel, ‘The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian’ written by Sherman Alexie. The following essay highlights an understanding of what it means to be courageous by standing up to your own fears, staying strong and persevering even through the toughest obstacles you face and learning how to come back from them. The story is about an Native American boy named Junior who is constantly getting bullied, from racism to struggles with his best friend Rowdy, Junior is determined to take his future into his own hands. He leaves his chaotic and troubled  school on the reservation to attend an all-white high school. This made a really awkward distance from his friends back at the reservation and in school but a step closer to a hopeful future.  

Fear is an intensely unpleasant emotion in response to perceiving or recognizing a danger or threat. Facing your own fears is definitely extremely terrifying .But standing up to them is even more daunting than anything. Gordy's decisive tone was clearly illustrated when he told Junior  ‘If you're good at it, and you love it, and it helps you navigate the river of the world, then it can't be wrong.’ His strong and firm tone gives the  readers a sense that he is encouraging Junior to believe in himself for doing the right thing and standing up to his own fears by moving to a place where nobody knows him. Metaphor was also displayed in the quote as he compared a river to the world because you can choose and navigate your own path of where you go like a river. Alexie  also wanted to show that Gordy’s quote is a good reminder for all of us. It’s not about others’ paths. It’s not about other peoples' expectations. It’s simply about your own life and how you’re going to navigate it and it takes a lot of courage to do that because Junior feared getting judged and neglected by everybody. 

The definition of perseverance is continued effort to do or achieve something, even when it is difficult and even when there are major challenges and setbacks. Emotive language and the power of three  was shown in the quote “My grandmother's last act on earth was a call for forgiveness, love, and tolerances.” This shows perseverance as even though Junior's grandmother was sadly killed by a drunk driver she wanted Junior to keep pushing through and persevering the pain and forgive the person. Perseverance was also demonstrated in the quote “But I can’t blame my parents for  our poverty because my mother and father are the twin suns around which I orbit and my world would EXPLODE without them.” Metaphor was conveyed  in the quote as he would not literally explode but would feel as though he would because his parents are the ones supporting him and helping him all the time. The quote also shows how hard and exhausting Junior’s life and his household is, but he keeps being resilient and keeps supporting his parents even when they are living in poverty.

After getting pushed down multiple times but then  getting back up again is a very tough and courageous decision. A symbolism of hope and fierceness was demonstrated in the quote  "I can do it," I said to Coach, to my teammates, and to the world. "You can do it," Coach said. "I can do it."  "You can do it.". Metaphor when he exclaimed that he said it ‘out to the world’. He means that he wants everyone to hear what he has to say. This quote is representing when Junior had to compete against his old school from the rez in a basketball tournament. Junior didn’t believe in himself and was feeling very low. But then  the basketball coach  helped him get back into his head by just saying that Junior can do it. Junior also used hyperbole to say  “It's one of the simplest sentences in the world, just four words, but they're the four hugest words in the world when they're put together.” meaning that when he heard just these four words he was immediately motivated and he felt as though he had all the power in this world. 

Being courageous is the quality of being willing to face negative situations involving danger or pain. Or in other words, someone who has courage might not be fearless, but they still face the danger and difficult or frightening situation anyway. Sherman Alexie was able to spin his tale of teenage youthfulness and spirit by mixing humor, wit and satire with the enlightening perspective of a teenage boy. Even though Junior made good and bad decisions  and  was not always the most fearless and strongest person he is still the perfect definition of courageous.