In the book, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, during pages, 209 - 211, Arnold talks to his old best friend, Rowdy, about the death of Arnold's sister. Based on past events, Rowdy hates Arnold. Arnold left the reservation to go to school at Reardan, because Arnold wants a better future fro himself and he believes that he will get one by doing so. Rowdy gets extremely mad and punches Arnold in the face. He yells at Arnold, "you always thought you were better than me!!!" Rowdy has hated Arnold ever since. After Arnold starts to attend Reardan, his sister, Mary, feels inspired to leave the reservation as well. Soon, she meets this guy that she falls in love with. They move to Montana and live in a crap trailer. Way after these crazy events, Mary gets too drunk and burns to death with her husband. After the burial ceremony, Arnold can't take all the deaths he has been through so he runs into the woods, only to find Rowdy spying on him. Rowdy then gives him a lecture as to why Mary's death occurred, and blames it all on Arnold. He says to Arnold, "your sister is dead because you left us. You killed her." Arnold hadn't thought about it this way before and then agree's with Rowdy. He thinks to himself that Rowdy is 100% correct. Actually, I kind of agree, but not exactly. I think that it was Arnold's fault because his sister felt inspired by him to move away from the reservation. Also, it wasn't his fault because if you keep going on with the cycle, you would get it is Junior's parents' fault because they created Arnold. Then you would get its God's fault for creating the universe, and its also not Junior's fault because he has no control over how drunk people get. Its not Junior's fault for being Indian where everyone gets drunk and killed in some way. In all though, there is some truth involved with what Rowdy says to Junior.
Do you think that Rowdy should have kept his emotions to himself? If so, do you think that Junior would have ever thought about the idea?
Do you think that Junior will ever recover from the idea?
Will Junior ever be face to face with Rowdy again? If so, will they make up?
I think that Rowdy should have kept some of his emotions to himself but not all, this is because some of what Rowdy said was actually very meaningful and true. For example, when Rowdy says that Junior had a part in his sister's death, only then did Junior realize that his decision to go to Rearden played a role in the incident. Although what Rowdy said was correct, Junior was very sad and vulnerable at the time and think that talking in a nicer tone would have helped. I think that Junior will recover from the death of his sister because he dealt with the death of his Grandma. Junior even specifically says in the book that a lot of deaths happen in the rez.
ReplyDeleteI think that Rowdy had a big urge to get angry at Junior especially after the basketball experience and a death to cap it all of, all related to his betrayal of Wellpint. I don't think that it was a good thing for him to absolutely go crazy on his friend but I think that with all of the emotions stirring, it would be hard to resist.
ReplyDeleteI think that Junior will never get over the fact that if he hadn't switched schools, his sister would still be breathing. I think that Junior is a pretty emotional guy and being blamed for the death of a loved one will haunt him to his grave.
I think that Rowdy and Junior will square off in one more battle before the end of the novel because that is a very high point of action which must be completed.
I think that Rowdy shouldn’t have kept his emotions to himself. This is because after many weeks of Rowdy and Junior being “ex” best friends he finally got to let some of his emotions out. Rowdy didn’t spill everything out but he got to blow out some steam by telling him how he feels about Mary’s death. When Rowdy told Junior that it is partly his fault for his Mary’s death was a good idea. Junior would have eventually blamed himself for his sister's death because he usually finds a way to blame himself for things.
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