Question 4
The Absolute True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie, is written in the style of a journal, giving the reader a firsthand view of the internal workings, emotions, and struggles of the main character Arnold. This candid perspective lets the reader hear Arnold’s honest and unfiltered opinions and feelings. This profound honesty lends itself to explain the struggles Arnold must deal with in trying fit in on the reservation, as well as in the white community of Rearden, while struggling with the harsh realities of his life.
The honesty of Arnold, renders him emotionally vulnerable to the reader, and creates a feeling of trust. This is why the first person narrative style is so crucial to creating the readers emotional connection to Arnold, as though he were a close friend. Rather than simply sympathizing with Arnold’s desperation to belong to a group or community, the reader can empathize, because of this strong emotional connection. As Pate explained, this style makes it possible for Arnold to express himself and be honest, even though he is in a community where he cannot voice his true opinions aloud.
Humor is used by Arnold as a coping mechanism, and often describes or explains the difficulty he feels in realizing his own identity amongst the community. For example, Arnold shows resentment towards the Indians on his reservation for using alcohol to cope with the alcohol-related death of his sister (Alexie 212). His humorous sarcasm as well as many of his cartoons show how he doesn’t understand parts of his communities. In one comic Arnold lashes out at his religion and Jesus as after Eugene passed away (Alexie 171). This is just another example of Arnold not feeling one with the accepted ideas of his community, which can make him feel even further alienated.
Through all of the poverty and grief that befalls Junior, he still maintains hope. It shows a lot about Arnolds amazing strength to cope and keep pressing forward, when Arnold includes all of his experiences in his diary, rather than focusing on only the negative. This persistence and resilience Arnold displays how he has both been shaped by his experience in the reservation community, and kept hopes like the community Members of Rearden. However, the same struggles are also what make him different from those in Rearden.
Arnold’s internal dialogue with the books he becomes enamored in shows his desperation to belong to something. As Pate discussed, books provide an oasis for Arnold, and not only does he read them, but actually talks back to them and in this way, interacts with them. Other internal struggles made apparent by Arnold’s internal dialogue are his own racial bias against himself. Sewell pointed out how when Arnold describes poor Indians as ugly and inferior. This sentiment makes him uncomfortable in the Rearden community and unhappy in the Reservation community.
Essentially, the perspective and style of this novel adds a unique insight, to how Arnold views and feels about his community and his emotional need to belong. Because of the emotional connection the reader feels to Arnold, his experiences, struggles, and desires have a much more profound effect on the reader. Rather than simply hearing Arnold’s story, the reader can experience it with him.
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