Essay On The Absolutely True Diary Of A Part-Time Indian
The Good the Bad and the Depressed
Merriam-Webster dictionary defines depression as a serious condition in which the person often feels hopeless or sad. Throughout The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Junior is depressed because he struggles with identity, friendship, and the death and alcohol issues on the reservation.
In the beginning of the book, Junior fights depression because he is unsure of what community, Reardan or the Rez, he belongs to most, and neither of them value him. On Halloween, Junior is walking when he is jumped by some kids wearing Frankenstein masks. He says “I could handle the kicks. But the spit made me feel like an insect...I could tell they weren’t trying to put me in the hospital or anything. Mostly they just wanted to remind me that I was a traitor.” (Alexi 79). Junior is trying to belong to both worlds at the same time. At his home, he is ostracized and bullied, but they are his family. At school, he is ignored for the most part. Neither of these communities accept him, but he still tries to …show more content…
Eugene, one of his only friends on the Rez, his sister and his Grandma, who all died violently. Junior says he was “so depressed I thought about dropping out of Reardan. I thought about going back to Wellpinit. I blamed myself for all the deaths.” (173). Eugene gave him rides when he needed them and thought him brave for going to Reardan. His sister was one of his biggest role models, and someone that he tried to emulate. His Grandma used to be, “The wisest person I know.” Junior always turned to her for help, as he did when he stood up to the bully at Reardan. Three of the most important people in Junior’s life, disappear one by one, all of them because of alcohol. When he reflects on the future of the people he cares most about, he sees a violent death due to the alcohol problems on the Rez. What is more depressing than seeing loved ones killed because someone was
Merriam-Webster dictionary defines depression as a serious condition in which the person often feels hopeless or sad. Throughout The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Junior is depressed because he struggles with identity, friendship, and the death and alcohol issues on the reservation.
In the beginning of the book, Junior fights depression because he is unsure of what community, Reardan or the Rez, he belongs to most, and neither of them value him. On Halloween, Junior is walking when he is jumped by some kids wearing Frankenstein masks. He says “I could handle the kicks. But the spit made me feel like an insect...I could tell they weren’t trying to put me in the hospital or anything. Mostly they just wanted to remind me that I was a traitor.” (Alexi 79). Junior is trying to belong to both worlds at the same time. At his home, he is ostracized and bullied, but they are his family. At school, he is ignored for the most part. Neither of these communities accept him, but he still tries to …show more content…
Eugene, one of his only friends on the Rez, his sister and his Grandma, who all died violently. Junior says he was “so depressed I thought about dropping out of Reardan. I thought about going back to Wellpinit. I blamed myself for all the deaths.” (173). Eugene gave him rides when he needed them and thought him brave for going to Reardan. His sister was one of his biggest role models, and someone that he tried to emulate. His Grandma used to be, “The wisest person I know.” Junior always turned to her for help, as he did when he stood up to the bully at Reardan. Three of the most important people in Junior’s life, disappear one by one, all of them because of alcohol. When he reflects on the future of the people he cares most about, he sees a violent death due to the alcohol problems on the Rez. What is more depressing than seeing loved ones killed because someone was