In order to move on you have to accept change. In the book The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie Junior is faced with much change, but has to move on with his life. Junior remains strong in the face of adversity. He realizes what he has control of and accepts what he can’t. Throughout the book he is transforming and with this he is growing up. Junior is changing and so is the world around him. He is starting his ninth grade school year at Wellpinit, the school on the Indian reservation in Spokane Washington.  Wellpinit is somewhat rundown because the reservation is impoverished. This means that the school does not get new supplies often. Junior is in geometry class and the teacher, Mr. P. comes into the classroom with textbooks. When Junior opens his textbook he sees his mother’s name. Junior is all of the sudden launched into a fit of rage.

And let me tell you, that old, old, old, decrepit geometry book hit my heart with the force of a nuclear bomb. My hopes and dreams floated up in a mushroom cloud. What do you do when the world has declared nuclear war on you?” (The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Because Geometry Is Not a Country Somewhere Near France) 

Junior’s action of throwing the textbook inspires change within himself. Junior recognizes that the reservation will not change so he has to change and his teacher Mr. P. tells him“You have to leave this reservation.” [“Hope Against Hope”]  This is the first time Junior has taken initiative from within. The change Junior makes is switching schools to the more privileged school in town where the white kids go. At the new school, Reardan Junior encounters different changes that he is not used to on the reservation. With all the change Junior goes through he needs a friend as an anchor point in his life.

    Everyone has a friend that no matter what they will always get along. Junior and his best friend Rowdy are always there for each other even if they are mean, they have a deeper connection that cannot be broken easily. Junior and Rowdy’s life are similar and different in many ways, but this does not stop them from creating an extremely strong bond. At some points in the novel it seems like they hate each other, but their friendship always comes through in the end. Junior and Rowdy have been friends since birth, so their friendship has lasted through their toughest times. The latest strain on their companionship is when Junior decides to make a change and go to the school in town with more funding where the white kids go. Rowdy is angered by this because he believes that Junior is abandoning him and believes he is better than him. This causes them not to talk for a few weeks, so Junior chooses to try and rekindle their friendship.

I was trying to fix my broken friendship with Rowdy, and that I missed him, and if that was gay, then okay… I could see Rowdy in the window of his upstairs bedroom. He was holding my cartoon. He was watching me walk away. And I could see the sadness in his face. I just knew he missed me, too. [The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Thanksgiving]

Junior tries to rebuild his bond with Rowdy after Rowdy beat him up because he is changing schools. Juniors attempt to kickstart his companionship is not fruitless because while Rowdy is still disrespectful Junior can tell he misses him. Junior is hopeful that Rowdy be friendly next they see each other, “But Rowdy still respected my cartoons. And so maybe he still respected me a little bit.” [“Thanksgiving”] In the end the adversity their friendship goes through will make their friendship even stronger.

    Learning is a challenge but the benefits are endless. Reading The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian was easy but grasping the ideas it had to offer was tough because they were completely unfamiliar to me. The reading was easier than I initially expected, but what I did not expect was how challenging it was to learn about completely foreign concepts. The idea of living on an Indian reservation and in poverty made me rethink what I knew about them. When Fitz said we would be reading The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian I knew nothing about the book but I thought it would be dense and complicated. The opposite was true, the text was not desne or complicated but there was one element that made this assignment hard. This was highlighting the recurring themes and understanding the themes that I was highlighting, it was difficult because I could not relate the themes to my own life. Having to tackle tough themes with simple reading made for an interesting experience. When highlighting themes in the reading I learned about struggles and success which were uncharted waters for me. Junior has to live with poverty, alcoholism and discrimination, which I have never had to go through. From the novel I have gotten a glimpse of what it’s like to live with these struggles. I also learned the lesson of perseverance because Junior is always moving forward in his life. While Junior is living his life with his struggles and preserving, he always has a growth mindset which I would like to make a part of my life. Even though The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian was not what I initially thought it was, I believe my experience of reading the novel was worth it because it gave me a window to a life I won't live, but I can learn from.

    The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian allowed me to see how you must accept change and the value in a strong friendship through the eyes of Junior.