Gendered Lens

Third, cognitive-motivational factors where children “begin to filter the world through a gendered lens” (Leaper, Friedman 562), interpreting gender related behavior, and forming gender typed expectations. Alexie wrote this specific novel from a male perspective. Which isn’t always a bad thing, but there is a way to write a book from a male lense, while “deconstruct[ing] gendered practices and gendered hierarchies” (Bean, Harper 15), which isn’t the case here. Alexie included a “male gaze” that was all too apparent. Junior apparently is already filtering the world through a gendered lens. Cecire contends that, “with the exception of his mother and his grandmother, he sees women primarily as decoration”, which is completely true. His interactions

All of these hegemonic roles our children and adolescents are subjected to, and many of these are portrayed in Alexie’s novel. Junior’s basketball participation is a show of hegemonic masculinity, boys use sports to “exert power over others through gendered social capital” (Harper, Bean 14), this was juniors means to acceptance, his athleticism a way to gain popularity. Being a basketball star is in general a male role, “I became a freshman starter on a varsity basketball team” (Alexie 236), and while Junior was on the court he enjoyed his girlfriend Penelope on the sidelines cheering him on. That was her role, as his cheerleader, his support system, she in a sense marked his status. Similar to a trophy wife to her husband, this can be seen in the way Junior’s “male gaze” portrays her as already discussed.

Finally, to better understand the gravity of an adolescents gendered expectations in direct relation to Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian, I discussed the books gendered language and aspects with a fourteen year old high school freshman, Charles Ruiz who was required to read this book, his friend Spencer Benoit also joined us, and although he has not read the book he brought some real life gender issues to the table. Spencer came out of the closet this year, by talking with him a further understanding was achieved on these forced

Young Adult literature is essentially about identity-formation so this gendered and misogynistic language could form views about the world that a young adult would not necessarily form without these stereotypes. If these are already views that a young adult does have they may encourage them further. Character formation is important for the author to accomplish in order to make the character relatable, Alexie may have gone a little far though in an Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, the character in fact became not relatable to the intended audience, yes my interviewee noticed it, but he didn’t understand it. Furthermore, these views and perceptions although true to the author may be somewhat outdated, which is why some young adults may not relate to the character. If in fact the audience does relate to this character or believe these views are the norm they may end up incorporating them into their own developing gender