Being a very poor Indian, Junior has a hard life and has many experiences that make him mature and expose him to the sad truth about the lives of people like him. When Junior's mother tells him that Oscar will be okay, Junior says, "We Indians really should be better liars..." (10). Junior means to show the reader that Indians get lied to all the time because people (their parents in this case) don't tell the truth. The truth is that nothing is going to go as they hoped. On page 13, Junior states, "...reservation Indians don't get to realize our dreams." Junior is implying that things don't work out for Indians like him, and they are always lied to so their parents don't crush their dreams. Junior says this because he wants the reader to understand that he knows how hard things are, and the lies that he is told aren't fooling him at all. Sherman Alexie also wants you to see Junior's outlook and how being poor gives Junior such a negative yet truthful view on life and the world.
Is Arnold knowing the real deal better or worse for him? Do you think Arnold is mad at his mom for lying to him? Do you think Arnold will be able to find any optimism for his future?
I think that when Junior is being lied to it might hurt him at the moment because he's experiencing the death of his dog, and his mom's lies. But in the end I think it can only benefit him, and make him understand that he could change things. Giving him the idea that Indians like him that are so poor, can still make it. Junior has grown up thinking that their is no hope being trapped in a poor reservation, but if he really experiences the negative part (which he is), for a long time, maybe he can realize that their is hope, I think that their will be optimism in his future, and that he can change the reputation of Indians.
ReplyDeleteI think that when Junior's mom tells him that everything is going to be okay with Oscar, I think that Junior already knows the truth and his mom just makes it worse for him. I think by then he knew what was going to happen and his mom was just trying to make things look better but just did the opposite. She says that they have no money and that they can't afford to save Oscar. At this moment, Junior is in a dystopia. He is poor, and stuck with the thought that there is no way out of the reservation and that there is no hope. As we discussed in class, it is just a cycle for all of the people on the reservation. I think that there will Junior will not have a bright future ahed of him.
ReplyDeleteThe blog acted up and deleted my post but I did it again so I am good. Be careful to copy and paste guys! Make the google doc, it is really worth it.
DeleteI aslo made spelling mistake on the last line, ahed is spelled ahead and I said will twice
DeleteWhen Junior was lied to I think it was for him and the parents because they all wanted to believe he would be okay. I think Arnold will be very optimistic in the future because it seems he always finds a way to be happy. I feel like being poor is kind of a foreshadowing that he will be successful in his future. He might have a negative part of his life but the author is foreshadowing his succes.
ReplyDeleteWhen Junior was lied to I think it was for him and the parents because they all wanted to believe he would be okay. I think Arnold will be very optimistic in the future because it seems he always finds a way to be happy. I feel like being poor is kind of a foreshadowing that he will be successful in his future. He might have a negative part of his life but the author is foreshadowing his succes.
ReplyDeleteI think that when Junior is being lied to about Oscar being okay he realize that a big part of his people's history is lying and that is why they are so poor. Junior believes that the key to leaving the reservation and poverty is lying because then he would be able to pursue his dreams and give other Indians hope that their lives can get better. Being lied to by his Mother can only benefit him because it teaches him how to deal with disappointment so that he can grow off of it and become a better person. I think that there is optimism in his future because if he pursues his dreams he can inspire other Indians to do the same and he may change the way that people see Indians.
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ReplyDeleteWhen Junior is lied to about Oscar getting better I think he is annoyed but knows why his mother is doing it. All Indians lie, as Junior says. I think they do this because they want to believe what they are lying about is true. Juniors mother says that Oscar will be alright. Although, I think they both know that he is suffering severely and probably will die but to fulfill themselves they want to say he will be okay. If they make themselves believe Oscar will be okay, then they will actually think he will be okay. This helps them have optimism for the future because they can make themselves believe the future will be brighter by saying to each other that it will. Just as Juniors mother said Oscar’s life would be.
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