The Absolutely True Diary of a part-time Indian

兒子學校的寒假作業 

The book “The Absolutely True Diary of a part-time Indian” by Sherman Alexie is a novel about a Native American Indian, who, trying to find a better future, enrolled at Realdan, a small but rich farm school, as opposed to the poor schools in the reservation.

A main part of the story is the humor that the author managed to squeeze into every part of the story, good or bad. He manages to find a silver lining, shining light on even the darkest and most horrible situations, making the overall story happy and joyful, even if when his father’s friend died, the illustrator and the author manages to steer the story away from sadness, by inserting a simple comic, in which lightens the story.

One interesting part of the story are the comics, in which gives the story a more diary like feeling, as if we are reading the actual diary of the author. This clever use of drawings make us feel closer to the protagonist. As being able to read the actual diary make us feel as if we have a close relationship to Junior, making the reader experience the same things Junior experience. 

In the story, the protagonist also tells of the unfair treatment of him from people around him. For example, the teacher mocked Junior when he mentioned the reality of petrification, but accepts the response from the white kid. He also mentioned how people living on the reservation aren’t going to go to college, stating the sad truth of being born on the reservation. Although not mentioned, the story illustrates how living in the reservation is like being slaves, as you were born disadvantaged, and could never get out of the pit, but only to fall deeper and deeper, as with current society, where the rich and advantaged grows more powerful, and the poor getting poorer.

The story as a whole gives us the sad aspects of Junior’s life, but Junior’s clever way to insert jokes, giving the story a light weighted feel, making the story a pleasure to read without feeling too serious. This story also illustrates even how people aren’t willing to admit it, prejudice and inequality still exists in the “civilized” world that we live in. The author way of dotting the story with humor also makes us feel closer to the protagonist, and makes it seem as if his life is a big joke. Junior’s way of humor also helps him make it through life, and as they say it, “A day without laughter is a day wasted.”