The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian | Chapter 14 Summary

On Thanksgiving, Mom makes a turkey, and Junior wonders why Indians celebrate Thanksgiving.  He notes wryly that even though "the Indians and Pilgrims were best friends during that first Thanksgiving...a few years later, the Pilgrims were shooting Indians".  He asks his Dad what Indians have to be so thankful for, and his Dad replies, only half-facetiously, that "We should give thanks that they didn't kill all of us".

Junior misses Rowdy, who for the past ten years had come over to the house on Thanksgiving to have a pie-eating contest with him.  Later in the day, he draws a cartoon of himself and his former friend like they used to be.  Junior goes over to Rowdy's, and when he knocks on the door, Rowdy's father answers.  Rowdy's father is rude, and says that Rowdy is not home, but he agrees to give the cartoon to his son.  As he walks away from the house, Junior looks back and sees Rowdy in the window of his upstairs bedroom, holding the cartoon.  He is watching Junior, and there is sadness in his face.  Junior waves, but Rowdy flips him off.  Junior feels sad for a moment, but then realizes with amazement that Rowdy had not torn up the cartoon, which "would have hurt (Junior's) feelings more than anything".  Junior is heartened to know that Rowdy still respects his cartoons, and feels that there is hope that maybe Rowdy still respects him a little bit too.