Book Analysis

Literary Achievement Challenges in Poverty

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian was written in 2007 by Sherman Alexie. The book is semi-autobiographical story because just like the main character, Arnold Spirit or Junior, Sherman Alexie grew up on the Spokane Indian reservation in poverty and had many of the same experiences that Junior did. The book follows Junior through his first year of high school during the transition from the poor reservation school to the rich, all white high school that is 22 miles away. By leaving the Indian Reservation to attend an all white school, Reardan High, Junior was able to get more opportunities for a better education in order to do something more with his life instead of staying on the reservation in poverty for his whole live. However, being from a low socio-economic status made literary achievement much harder for Junior than someone who comes from a higher socio-economic status.

            Since the book is semi-autobiographically, many of the stories really happened to Alexie, it is an accurate portrayal of growing up on the reservation. Growing up on the reservation, most Indians are in poverty and become alcoholics.  Because of the poverty, almost everyone on the reservation only continues the cycle because they do not see any other opportunities that they have. Therefore, being in poverty does not allow the same opportunities that people of higher socio-economic status have. It makes the success much harder for people in poverty to accomplish.

Even in the classroom, the reservation school does not have the same resources as the all-white school. Even the teachers are often missionaries and can only teach if they live on the reservation (Alexie 30). Therefore, the reservation school has teachers that help because they realize the Indian’s need an education with their lack of financial support, but there is only so much teacher’s can do with limited resources. Beginning his freshman year of high school, Junior was looking forward to school because he has always enjoyed learning and has always been bright in school. However, when he went to his geometry class, he was given the same textbook his mom had used and became extremely mad about the tribe not being able to buy new textbooks. Because his teacher sees his anger towards the old textbooks, Mr. P knows that Junior wants to learn and do something more with his life. Mr. P begs him to “leave the rez forever,” because, “the only thing you kids are being taught is how to give up” (Alexie 41). Mr. P wants Junior to do something more with his life because Junior still has hope for a better life so in order to achieve his dream, he must leave now. Because of the lack of resources and technology at the reservation school, Junior would not be able to succeed without a better education. 

By growing up on the reservation, the tribe children are not able to have access to the same education as children who come from a higher socioeconomic status. Therefore, the people on the reservation have lower literary achievement (Brandt 170). There are “correlations of literacy performance with individual socioeconomic status capture yet, in their shorthand way, obscure larger conditions that lie behind differential outcomes in literacy achievement” (Brandt 170). Throughout the book, literacy learning is a common theme because to have a better future, he needed to leave his school. The book is a prime example of the idea that people who come from higher socio-economic status have access to a better education that allows for literary achievement that allows them to have a better job and future. The children on the reservation are not able to get the same opportunities in literary achievement in school as children of higher socio-economic status, which plays into the opportunities they will have later in life with occupations. By deciding to go to the rich all-white high school, Junior had a better chance to gain literary achievement allowing for the opportunity for a better future. 

By leaving the reservation, Junior was able to take life into his own life. He decided to attend the all white school, Reardan High, where he was given the opportunity for a much better education because the school was of a higher socio-economic status, which provided many more resources than the reservation school. Reardan High was “one of the best small schools in the state with a computer room and huge chemistry lab and a drama club and two basketball gyms” (Alexie 46). Because the school had more resources and technology than the reservation school, the students, at Reardan, are given a better chance to achieve literary success to have a better future. However, the change of schools came with many obstacles. His first obstacle was dealing with the other Indians on the reservation. He knew that, “the Indians around here are going to angry,” because he was the first Indian to ever leave the reservation (Alexie 47). The other Indians often beat up Junior because they think he is a traitor for going to a school off the reservation. Another obstacle was getting to school everyday. Reardan was 22 miles away and there was no school bus would pick him up on the reservation. Sometimes Junior would get a ride from his parents if they had money for gas or the car was working, other times he had to hitchhike or walk the whole way home (Alexie 87). Furthermore, Junior had to fight to fit in at Reardan. He often felt like he “didn’t deserve to be there” (Alexie 56). Also, he was very lonely at first in Reardan because he did not fit in.  Because of Junior’s differences, achieving literary success in Reardan was much harder than the other students.

            In order to achieve literary success, Junior had to work hard studying. His first friend at Reardan, Gordy, helped him through it. Gordy studied with Junior, but he also tutored him, challenged him, and taught him new things to help Junior excel in school (Alexie 98). Gordy also showed Junior the importance of a library and all the things you can learn from the books (Alexie 97). Junior realized how much learning can be done in the library (Alexie 97). Library reformers even argue that a library is “more than a collection of books on shelves,” but should, “actively serve the public, be a vibrant part of community life” (Cmiel 326).  Junior is able to enhance his literary achievement with the access of library at Reardan High School Library.

            Despite the difficult circumstances that Junior had, he was able to achieve literary success when many other children on the reservation never did. His final freshman year report card at Reardan was almost all A’s (Alexie 214).  By attending Reardan High School, Junior was able to “realize that hard work – that the act of finishing, of completing, of accomplishing a task – is joyous” (Alexie 98). Finally, Junior could see a bright future and even the potential to go to college when no one in his family ever had. By attending Reardan, he had a better chance at literary achievement, so Junior was able to succeed with difficult circumstances; it just made the success much harder to achieve growing up in poverty.