Trials in Absolutely True Diary

Throughout the Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian Sherman Alexie uses the archetype of trials to portray the tough times in life, and to give emphasis to the good times. One of the first trials that Junior came across was “everybody on the rez [calling] [him] a retard about twice a day”, Junior was born with many medical problems and everybody else made sure he was very aware of how awkward he looked. However, this isn’t the only reason he got made fun of, Junior always has been very smart and knew that he had to leave the reservation to make something of his life as his parents could never do.

He wanted to get out of poverty, to achieve his goals, and prove to not only the white people but to the natives that they could do it too. The natives believed that “poverty only teaches you how to be poor” and that that cycle could never be broken At moments Junior thought the same thing but all along he knew this was the only way to get out.

He acted by switching schools to Reardan High School, an all-white school where the mascot was the only other native there; this was one of the main trials in the book. Because of this transition, Junior faced many smaller trials with his best friend, other natives, his family and even himself. When “fellow tribal member saw [Junior] they all stopped cheering, talking, and moving” because they all saw his switch in school as betrayal.

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They saw it as Junior leaving his tribe to be with the white people. The Threshold: The Threshold is used as a place where one must go to grow and change. For Junior to grow and change the switch to Reardan was necessary. After his switch, Junior faced many trials which forced him to live through different situations and grow up. Soon after joining Reardan “[he] felt like somebody had just shoved [him] into a rocket ship and blasted [him] to a new planet.”

He was forced to make new friends and defend himself, both of these being something new for him. Later he meets Penelope, “the prettiest girl he had ever seen up close”, he instantly became “emotionally erect” however she didn’t care for him at the beginning. Towards the end, “[He and Penelope] were so happy to be alive, and so happy to be alive TOGETHER”. With his newly acquired skills, Junior was able to learn to be more open, careful and happy. He improved upon characteristics he had and was able to make new friends along the way. Allies: Rowdy is Junior’s “best human friend”. “[He] has protected [Junior] since [they] were born”  and had his back when he needed it. They spent all their time together and supported each other even while messing around. However, when Junior tells Rowdy about him moving to Reardan, he gets very upset Rowdy felt that Junior always thought that he was better than him, Since Rowdy and Junior rarely talked Junior was forced to go into Reardan by himself and make new friends.

This is where Junior meets Gordy and Penelope Gordy was “lonely, and sad and isolated and terrified” just like Junior. The became friends and hung out at school. He was Junior’s first real friend at Reardan, but the two never became as good as friends and Rowdy and Junior was. Penelope is also one of the friends Junior makes at his new school. Penelope and Junior end up going to a dance together and she finds out her is poort Unlike what he expected she was kind to him, “She was being [his] friend,” Throughout the book, even though Junior feels alone, he almost always has someone on his side. A mentor is a person in the story who guides or sets an example for the main character. In this book, Junior’s grandmother has a pretty big influence on him. Junior doesn’t realize how much of a fantastic role model she is until it’s too late. Sherman Alexie goes on to explain in his book why Junior’s grandmother was so amazing.

They focus in on one particular characteristic, and that’s her tolerance She didn’t care if someone was gay or different All she cared about was treating one another with respect. “[She] had no use for all the gay bashing and homophobia in the world“. She wanted nothing to do with hate. Junior’s grandmother was the only person who thought it was a good idea for him to go to Reardan. She showed Junior that “that’s the whole point of life To meet new people“ (156) She was kind and outgoing, and whenever Junior went through something hard he almost always thought back to his grandmother. The Hero: The hero is someone who discovers their identity, strengths and themselves through trials. Junior, is the hero of this story. Throughout the whole book, he is always learning about himself. He starts this from the very beginning by talking about Rowdy and how “[l-le] has protected [him] since [they] were born”.

Not long after Junior doesn’t have Rowdy to defend him and is left to fight against the white people on his own He learns that through different trials “[he] will never give up” and he will continue to do his best no matter who he’s facing. He discovers the most about himself after his sister’s death when he feels that he “was in this small room, the smallest room in the world. [He] could reach out and touch the walls, which were made out of greasy glass. [He] could see shadows but [he] couldn’t see details.” When Junior dealt with death he seemed to not understand at the moment what was going on but later seemed to see what he learned from that person, or dog, and how it changed him.