The Influences of Life
People’s decisions in life are often influenced by their past experiences. Whether it be a fear that stems from a previous incident or something more extreme, individuals’ actions are often rooted in their personal history. This can also be seen in the work of authors who draw inspiration from their own lives when creating events and circumstances in their books. Sherman Alexie, a renowned author, incorporates many of his own personal experiences into the lives of his characters across multiple novels. In particular, his novel The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian reflects the challenges he faced in his own life. Born on October 7, 1996, in Wellpinit, Washington (“The Lone” 54), Alexie had to overcome various obstacles during his childhood. One significant setback was being diagnosed with hydrocephalus at six months old, which required surgery (“The Lone” 54). Throughout his upbringing, Alexie’s parents were frequently absent from home due to his father’s struggle with alcoholism and his mother working as a clerk at Wellpinit Trading Post while also sewing quilts to provide for Alexie and his five siblings (19). Alexie acknowledges that these difficult experiences during his childhood played a major role in nurturing his imagination (54).Despite facing challenges due to the disadvantaged area he grew up in, Alexie showed determination and managed to overcome obstacles, ultimately achieving academic success.
After receiving a subpar education in Wellpinit, Sherman Alexie transferred to a predominantly white high school in Reardan – located thirty miles away from the reservation – in order to fulfill the credits necessary for college (“Because” 19). Nonetheless, Alexie found himself succumbing to peer pressure and, like several of his peers, developed an alcohol problem (“The Lone” 54). Following his high school graduation, Alexie made the decision to turn his life around. In 1987, he relocated to Seattle, where he quit drinking and enrolled at Washington State University (“Because” 19). Following his graduation, Alexie achieved great success and renown as an author. He has received numerous awards and grants (“Sherman” 4). Sherman Alexie is an extraordinary author whose story is both captivating and unique, likely influencing various aspects of his literary works. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, one of his novels, particularly reflects strong connections to his own life experiences.
The text explores Sherman Alexie’s novel, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, which centers around the life of Junior, a young boy who is an Indian residing on a reservation. Despite facing challenges such as hydrocephalus, which causes seizures and speech impediments, as well as poor vision requiring him to wear unattractive glasses, Junior narrates the story with a raw and explicit voice typical of a teenage boy. He endures name-calling and physical abuse due to his disabilities but finds solace in his best friend Rowdy’s protection. Junior comes from an impoverished family like many others on the Spokane Reservation; his father wastes their earnings on alcohol and gambling while his mother remains loving yet hopeless. However, Junior’s grandmother provides valuable insights into his life and offers guidance when needed.
One fateful day at school, seeing his mother’s name in an old textbook triggers Junior into a fit of rage. In this intense moment, he throws the book impulsively and accidentally strikes his teacher in the face. Consequently, Junior’s teacher pays him a visit at home where it is revealed that Junior’s sister used to have a passion for writing but now spends most of her time confined to the basement. This surprising revelation sets the stage for an upcoming task that will profoundly impact Junior’s life.
Junior is told by his teacher to leave the reservation to keep hope alive, leading him to make a tough decision. He attends Reardan High School, a big and predominantly white school. Despite being resented by the Indians on the reservation, he stands up to a racist bully named Roger and gains respect at the new school. Junior forms relationships with a popular white girl named Penelope and a geeky friend named Gordy. His sister marrying a man on the Flathead reservation upsets his family, while basketball games against his Wellpinit Reservation team cause conflict with his former best friend, Rowdy. Tragedies strike as Junior’s grandmother is killed by a drunk driver and his sister and her husband die in a fire. However, Junior manages to turn his luck around despite these challenges.
Despite facing numerous obstacles, Junior remains resilient and leads his Reardan basketball team to victory over Rowdy and the Wellpinit basketball team. During the game, Junior exhibits bravery as he leaps over Rowdy to score the first points. However, after Junior’s sister’s funeral, Rowdy blames him for her death, believing that Junior’s departure from the reservation gave her hope to leave. The conclusion of the book sees Rowdy and Junior reconciling their friendship through a game of basketball. Throughout the novel, Junior encounters various challenges, many of which reflect Sherman Alexie’s own struggles, including financial difficulties. Alexie’s personal experiences with poverty strongly influence Junior’s hardships. It is well-known that individuals living on reservations face severe poverty, with Native Americans experiencing the most extreme poverty among all minority groups in the United States (“The Absolutely” 1). Alexie vividly portrays similar circumstances in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, stating that Junior’s parents dreamed of escaping poverty but were never given the opportunity for their dreams to be realized (Alexie 7). The root of Junior’s financial struggles can be traced back to Alexie’s own life, as exemplified when he describes his parents’ generational poverty (Schmitz 1).The text highlights how Sherman Alexie’s cynical view of his own life can be seen in his writing. In The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, the protagonist Junior shares this perspective, stating “I am really just a poor-ass reservation kid living with his poor-ass family on the poor-ass Spokane Indian Reservation” (Alexie 7). Alexie further emphasizes the economic struggles by stating, “It’s not like my mother and father were born into wealth. It’s not like they gambled away their family fortunes” (Alexie 11). This demonstrates that poverty plays a substantial role in the novel, as “The poverty that permeates the Indian reservation is an important focus” (“The Absolutely” 2). Thus, while Alexie’s financial hardships greatly impact his writing, the challenges posed by life on a reservation are equally significant.
The hardships faced by Alexie in his own life on the reservation are reflected in Junior’s life as well. One similarity is seen in the struggles they both encounter in their reservation schools. Alexie himself left the reservation and attended high school in Reardan after finding his mother’s name in an old textbook. In The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, a comparable situation is depicted by Alexie wherein Mr. P tells Junior that he cannot give up and refuses to do so, as shown when Junior throws a book at Mr. P. This demonstrates the idea that many of the obstacles Alexie faced in his life inspired the setbacks he portrays in Junior’s life. Additionally, Alexie viewed the reservation as a place without hope while he lived there, describing it as a landscape filled with HUD shacks and abandoned cars. Similarly, in his novel, Alexie writes about similar circumstances where the characters have given up, including their parents and grandparents. Mr. P expresses that all the teachers at the school are defeated as well. This showcases the hopelessness experienced by both Alexie and Junior during their time on the reservation.The text highlights how Alexie’s personal experiences, specifically attending an all white high school in a reservation border town, shaped his perspective on Indian life. Alexie incorporates this significant event into his character Junior’s narrative, expressing feelings of being a stranger while traveling between the white town and the reservation. The influence of Alexie’s own life events on his novels is evident. Despite the profound impact of living on a reservation on his writing, the struggles within his family also played a major role in influencing his literary work.
Junior’s family struggles in Sherman Alexie’s The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian are reminiscent of the difficulties Alexie himself faced. Alcoholism, a prominent theme in Alexie’s work, plagued both his family and Junior’s: “Alcoholism, a central concern of Alexie’s work, afflicted his family” (Alexie and Marx). This is evident in Junior’s father as well: “Drunk for a week, my father must have really wanted to spend those last five dollars” (Alexie 151). The impact of alcoholism on Sherman Alexie’s family influenced the challenges faced by Junior’s family.
Furthermore, the death of Alexie’s maternal grandmother, Etta Adams, at a young age left an indelible mark on his writing: “Then there was his maternal grandmother, Etta Adams, who died when Alexie was eight” (Alexie and Marx). A similar situation occurs in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian when Junior’s grandmother passes away: “Well, my grandmother has left this world and she’s now roaming around the afterlife” (Alexie 158). The death of Alexie’s own grandmother served as inspiration for Junior’s loss.
Notably, Alexie’s absence of a father figure due to his father’s alcoholism also influenced his writing: “Alexie’s father, an alcoholic, was frequently absent from home” (“Because” 19). This absence is mirrored in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian when Junior’s dad leaves on Christmas Eve and returns with a hangover on January 2: “He [Junior’s Dad] left on Christmas Eve and came back on January 2. With an epic hangover, he just lay on his bed for hours” (Alexie 150). The influence of Alexie’s own experiences is apparent in the struggles faced by Junior and his family.Alexie’s father’s alcoholism had a significant impact on alcoholism in Junior’s family. Many of the challenges within Sherman Alexie’s family are reflected in his writing. In his novel The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Alexie portrays the hurdles that influenced his own life through the experiences of his characters. Through his writing, Alexie indirectly shares his unique and noteworthy life story. Like Alexie and many other authors, incorporating personal experiences into writing is a way to tell one’s own saga in a distinctive manner. In fact, people often unknowingly express their own experiences in a diffuse manner. Thus, it is important to pay close attention to what someone is truly conveying when they speak.
Works Cited
“The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.” Twenty-First Century Novels: The First Decade. Ed. Jeffrey W. Hunter. Vol. 1. Detroit: Gale, 2011. 1-5. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 25 Jan. 2012. Alexie, Sherman. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. Illus. Ellen Forney. New York: Little, Brown, 2007. Print. Alexie, Sherman, and Doug Marx. “Sherman Alexie: A Reservation of the Mind.” Publishers Weekly 16 Sept. 1996: 39. Literature Resource Center. Web. 26 Jan. 2012. “Because My Father Always Said He Was the Only Indian Who Saw Jimmy Hendrix Play ‘The Star Spangled Banner’ at Woodstock.” Short Stories for Students. Ed. David Galens. Vol. 18. Detroit: Gale, 2003. 18-39. Print. “The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven.” Novels for Students. Ed. David Galens. Vol. 17. Detroit: Gale, 2003. 53-71. Print. Schmitz, Terri. “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.” Horn Book Magazine Jan.-Feb. 2009: 25. Literature Resource Center. Web. 27 Jan. 2012. “Sherman Alexie.” Contemporary Authors. Gale, 2010. Web. 7 Oct. 2011.
