Entry 9: Symbolism in a Culturally Aware Novel

Like most young adult books that we have read this semester, I did not really take notice of the underlying messages, meanings or symbols within them, rather I simply took this opportunity to read a book, as my time for pleasure reading. In fact, it was not until class discussions, most times, that I began to notice these things in the books that were or were not always inherently obvious. This was no different in my reading of Sherman Alexie’s The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. I really enjoyed this book and at this point in the semester, it was a good way for me to escape papers and read a good book, while also doing it for a class. After our class discussion, however, I realized and took more notice on the symbols and representations that are vaguely displayed throughout the story and I have given it a little bit more thought.

In Alexie’s book, one significant symbol that I noticed is in the character of Arnold “Junior” Spirit. Junior, to me, represents Native American people and their culture at large. I say this because I believe he shows that Native Americans in this country have essentially had to make tough decisions and endure cultural annihilation; they have had to choose between their own heritage and that of the ‘white world,’ often being ostracized, ridiculed and dismissed if they chose the former and did not conform to other cultural standards. This is represented by Arnold’s tough decision to make something of his life and leave his reservation, which was essentially killing off his heritage and the people of his tribe. Moreover, the struggle for respectability amongst Indians and Caucasians in their separate worlds is apparent in his character—he is a minority in this white town and school, trying to defy the odds and establish respect from both groups of people.

Another symbolic representation that I noticed in the book is that of poverty, which is shown through the struggling, dejected Spokane reservation on which Junior lives. To me, Alexie not only represents the struggle that Native Americans have endured through his imagery of the reservation, but he also makes this symbol a more worldly representation of the poverty situation in America. To me, the reservation he describes symbolizes the experiences of poverty-stricken families from all ethnic groups and its negative affect on them. Represented pretty blatantly, Alexie shows that poverty can lead to tragedies and unhappiness.