The analysis of Sherman Alexie's "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian" Essay

Sherman Alexie's, "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian" is the story of Arnold Spirit, also known as Junior. Junior is the novel's narrator and while he is witty and seemingly proud of his heritage in the beginning of the story, it appears the point of the novel is to show us Junior's transformation. He begins life on the reservation, attending school in Wellpinit, Washington. Eventually, he transfers to an all-white high school twenty-two miles from the reservation in Reardan, where he begins to change. A shallow reader may think the novel is only about Junior's journey, but actually, Alexie has managed to show us the difference between Arnold Spirit and Junior as two separate people. There was not so much a transformation, as a duality of souls.
Arnold begins this point-of-view story by telling the reader he is a hydrocephalic, meaning he is constantly at risk of brain damage, and is partially epileptic. Essentially, he was born with a buildup of fluid in his brain and, medically, should have died before his third birthday. As Arnold put it, his brain was, "drowning in grease (Alexie 5)." Arnold refers to the fluid as brain grease, indicating he is also creative and charismatic. He compares spinal fluid to grease, his brain to French fries, and eventually calls himself weird for doing so, signifying that he also has an untraditional relationship with language and may not be completely accepting of himself. The shallow reader may take this first impression to mean Arnold is simply a strange kid, or may even have already suffered brain damage from his initial issues at birth. However, what we are actually dealing with is Arnold the marginalized outsider at this time he lives on the reservation and as a hydrocephalic and a Native American, he has never known a day of commonality in his life.
Arnold sees himself as an outsider, both because of his physical impairment and his marginalization as a "reservation kid (Alexie 56)." He thinks of himself as an artist, but does not respect himself because of it, for example. While he acknowledges that he has talent, he does not think it will take him anywhere or bring him anything that will sustain him, such as food or money. Despite his constant self-depreciation, Arnold draws all the time. His thirst for knowledge comes through very clearly and the shallow ready may believe this is simply because he is that curious. They overlook instances where he says that he draws, "because words are too predictable (Alexie 39)." He draws because he finds words to be limiting, and because no matter what language or background a person is, a drawing can be understood by anybody. Not only is Arnold an artist, but he seeks to unify the world through his art. His thirst for knowledge and tenacity to draw is not just based in curiosity, but it seems it is deeply rooted in a desire to belong, as well as to unite the world.