Junior said he would always love his tribe because they gave him peace and time to grieve on the day of his grandmother's funeral. On page 160 Junior said, “No matter what else happened between my tribe and me, I would always love them for giving me peace on the day of my grandmother’s funeral”. He said this because since the day he left the reservation school to go to Reardan, he had gotten so much disrespect and hatred from many Indians on his reservation. It all stopped on the day of his grandmother's funeral. Indians on the rez had respect for his grandmother, she was a good hearted women and was very wise. As it showed in previous chapters, Junior's grandmother was very understanding. She always helped junior with his problems and could relate to them in some way. Although, I don’t think this was the only reason why he stopped getting ignored and pushed away by the Indians. Another reason why the Indians gave him peace was because they always stick together. “I mean, I was still the kid who betrayed the tribe.... But I was also the kid who lost his grandmother. And everybody knew that losing my grandmother was horrible”. (159) Many Indians on the rez have gone through tough things, including deaths. They want to support Junior through this tough period in his life. This reveals that Junior feels a part of his tribe because they are slowly gaining more respect for him and his choices.
Do you think Junior learns anything about his identity during this time? Do you think this makes Junior feel more apart of the reservation again? How did this affect Junior?
I definitely think this had an impact on the other indians and how they behaved with Junior but the sad part was that Junior lost his grandmother. Since his grandmother thought differently then everyone else and approached problems differently, there were a lot of people at the funeral. Since they were all letting Junior grieve in peace, it continued to stay like that. But the indians still ignored Junior like they did before. "Gordy showed a lot of courage standing up to a teacher like that. And his courage inspired others. Penelope stood and dropped her textbook. And then Roger stood and dropped his textbook. Then the other basketball players did the same (page 175)." I think Junior is getting more support from his white classmates because they understand his feelings. They know how it feels like to lose someone. This might make him think that maybe his life later will have to revolve around white people and that white people will respect him. But he has to remember where he is from. He will never be content living with white people. He needs to remember his roots. This is what is going to really make him feel a part of his reservation.
ReplyDeleteThe death of Junior's grandmother allows him to see that the Indians of the Spokane Reservation have not completely forgotten him. At the wake, the tribal members do not taunt Junior, they do not bother him at all, "And nobody gave me any crap" (159). They understand his circumstance, as they believe the Indian in him will never fade. Consequently, this results in the belief that strong family relationships remain among Junior. They respect him for his grandmother. This makes Junior feel more a part of the reservation because people acknowledge his loss and empathize. Being a part of the reservation not only means residing, it also means believing in the culture. Alexie shows this scene to demonstrate that the majority of the tribe still recognizes Junior as Indian, internally. Externally, they are jealous of him and force themselves to believe he is a traitor.
ReplyDeleteWhat does the negligence of the tribe towards Arnold during the Wake show?
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