Alexie brilliantly explores the complex, and sometimes twisted, mind of
an adolescent Spokane Indian seeking truth, answers, and hope. Arnold Spirit Jr. was born an outsider in the
Spokane Indian reservation, at school, even at home. Because of his brain condition, glasses,
seizures, and skinny frame, Junior was a walking target for teasing, bullying,
and black eyes. He was born an outsider
and felt like he would die as one. Living
on the rez, Junior would ideally be surrounded by others who accept him and share
similar values and experiences. Instead,
he was relentlessly bullied by fellow Indians and classmates. “Do you know what
happens to retards on the rez? We get beat
up. At least once a month.” (p. 4) Even his so-called best friend gave Junior a
going away gift of bruises and a beating.
Imagine what Junior must have felt when his only loyal friend treated him just like everyone else. “What kind of
idiot was I? I was the idiot that got
punched in the face by his best friend.
Bang! Rowdy punched me…” (p. 52) In
search of hope and a future, Junior chooses to leave his current school and
attend the privileged white school outside of the rez, which isolated Junior even further from any sort of familiarity. Junior’s family loved him as best they knew
how, yet he was still very different from them.
When Junior asked to attend Rearden, his parents responded with “Okay… My
parents love me so much that they want to help me. Yeah, Dad is a drunk and Mom is an ex-drunk,
but they don’t want their kids to be drunks.” (p. 46) Upon Junior’s arrival at Rearden, his status
as "outsider" followed him. “Rearden was
the opposite of the rez. It was the opposite
of my family. It was the opposite of
me. I didn’t deserve to be there. I knew
it; all of those kids knew it.” (p. 56)
A series of events lead to Junior’s gained respect and eventually acceptance
at Rearden.
Because of Junior’s “outsider” status, he fought harder
than most to create a different life for himself. He refused to settle for the lackluster life the rez had
to offer. The novel uses Junior’s
isolation to propel his future in a forward direction. His path toward hope took a turn for the better,
with some bumps of disappointment and defeat along the way. “All of these white kids and teachers, who
were so suspicious of me when I first arrived, had learned to care about
me. Maybe some of them even loved… now I
care about a lot of them. And loved a
few of them.” (p. 212) I suppose Junior
would say the saying is true, what doesn’t
kill you makes you stronger. What almost
killed him (figuratively and literally), ended in positive change and strength, strength
for even the wimpiest of all kids.
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