Should Arnold's responsibility to his family, culture, or community take precedence over his individual goals?

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is a novel that is based, at least in part, on the real-life experiences of its author, Sherman Alexie. Alexie grew up on the Spokane Indian Reservation in Washington, as does his protagonist, fourteen-year-old Arnold Spirit Jr. (who is often referred to as Junior).

Let us talk about what the expectations are for Junior. The short answer is not very much. Poverty, violence, and alcoholism are big...

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is a novel that is based, at least in part, on the real-life experiences of its author, Sherman Alexie. Alexie grew up on the Spokane Indian Reservation in Washington, as does his protagonist, fourteen-year-old Arnold Spirit Jr. (who is often referred to as Junior).

Let us talk about what the expectations are for Junior. The short answer is not very much. Poverty, violence, and alcoholism are big problems on the reservation, and those cycles tend to repeat themselves across generations. To make matters worse, Junior was born with hydrocephalus, so he is small, has poor vision, and has a stuttering problem. His parents are poor, and Junior is considered a weak child even within that context.

The community's low expectations are illustrated in the first parts of the book. One day, on Junior's first day of high school on the reservation, the geometry teacher is passing out textbooks. Junior sees his mother's maiden name written inside one, and he realizes that the textbooks have not been replaced in decades. This detail speaks volumes about the value of education in the community, and the relatively low expectations that the school would have for him.

However, there are individuals who recognize Junior's capabilities: he wants to be a cartoonist, and he is smart and artistically talented. One teacher at the reservation high school realizes this and encourages him to attend a different high school, one off the reservation, where he will have better opportunities and access to better resources.

Junior does exactly that. It is a big responsibility to represent his family and community at a nearly all-white high school. Even though he experiences social difficulties as he makes the transition, it seems clear that his responsibilities to the world he comes from will not—and should not—take precedence over his individual pursuits. In succeeding in the world outside the reservation, he serves as a positive representative of the Spokane reservation, and he may even change a few minds about what it means to be "Indian."