Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Was it best for Junior to attend Reardan in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian?

In The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian, it is best that Junior attends Reardan.  After Junior learns that he has been issued his mother's 30-year-old math textbook, he realizes that his education on the reservation is limited by money.  His teacher Mr. P encourages Junior to seek education off the reservation so that he can find a sense of hope.  So Junior leaves the school in Wellpinit to go to Reardan for what he considers a better education.  However, arguably speaking, this apparent goal is not what makes it best that Junior attends Reardan.  What makes it best is that attending Reardan is a way for Junior to exert a sense of agency over his life--he makes a decision that he thinks is best for him.  Other Indians on the reservation label him a "traitor" and a "white-lover," but Junior overcomes this abuse to follow the path that he thinks is best for his own life.  By standing up to detractors, Junior gains self-confidence.  So arguably, the development of a strong sense of self is what makes attending Reardan a great decision for Junior.

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