The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian Themes
The main themes in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian are identity, racism and poverty, and hope and growing up.
- Identity: Junior navigates several issues around his identity, including the conflict between his identity as a Spokane Indian and his identity as a Reardan student.
- Racism and poverty: The linked issues of racism and poverty are constants in Junior’s life as a young man growing up on a reservation.
- Hope and growing up: The novel is at its heart a coming-of-age story, over the course of which Junior finds hope in kinship with different sets of people.
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian Study Tools
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Themes: Identity
The question of identity is extremely important in the book, with its title including the phrase “part-time Indian.” The phrase indicates Junior’s conflict between his identity as a Spokane Indian on the reservation and as a student in a white-dominated school. The conflict arises because the two identities have a complex relationship with each other. Further, Junior also feels torn between his identity as an individualistic person interested in...
(Read more)Themes: Racism and Poverty
Racism is a constant in Junior’s life: early in the novel he notes that a white dentist gave him less pain medication for a procedure since he believed Indigenous people only need half as much Novocain as white people. The procedure was a multiple tooth extraction: Junior had ten teeth removed on one day, since “Indian Health Service funded major dental work only once a year.” Thus, racist attitudes and a broken welfare system work together to...
(Read more)Themes: Hope and Growing Up
The novel is at its heart a coming-of-age story, or a bildungsroman. Typical of a bildungsroman, the protagonist—in this case, Junior—has to grow up and attain some measure of peace after facing great turmoil. In Junior’s case, that turmoil is even more complex because he is an economically disadvantaged Indigenous young man. As Junior notes after a basketball game, while his white classmates do have their own problems, unlike the students on the...
(Read more)Themes: Dreams
In "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian," dreams play a central role in shaping the protagonist, Junior's, journey. The novel explores how dreams can be both a source of hope and a reminder of the limitations imposed by one's environment. Junior's pursuit of his dreams is a driving force that leads him to leave the Spokane Indian Reservation in search of better opportunities, highlighting the tension between aspiration and reality.
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Analysis, Themes, and Symbols in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
In The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, hope is a central theme, embodied by Junior, who seeks better opportunities by transferring to a white school, highlighting the class divide between Native Americans and whites. The novel explores Native American spirituality, contrasting it with the imposed Christianity brought by colonizers, with Junior valuing traditional beliefs over Western religion. The title reflects Junior's dual identity, as he navigates life on and off the reservation, feeling alienated in both worlds, yet striving to reconcile these conflicting identities.
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