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The Power Of Resilience In The Absolutely True Diary Of A Part Time Indian

642 Words3 Pages

Mei Edgar

Grade 8 Language

5/29/2023

The Power of Resilience

The capacity to withstand or to recover quickly from difficulties is resilience. In the novel “The Absolutely True-Diary of a part-Time Indian”, by Sherman Alexie, resilience is an important theme in the book because it is what saves people from falling back down and shattering into pieces. Throughout the whole book, resilience is continuously achieved and it’s what gives people the hope to continue and never give up. To find one’s self, resilience must be achieved to rise above all labels placed upon one.

Arnold Spirit, also referred to as Junior, is a teen living on the Spokane Indian reservation with talent to draw and create art but unfortunately lives with a variety of difficult medical conditions that affect his brain. Because of this, it makes him extremely unique and different. Unfortunately, people on his reservation have a contraversial view and difficult time understanding and constantly treat him like an …show more content…

One afternoon, while Junior is sitting on his porch, a local teacher from Junior’s school visits him. He gives Junior hope and begins warning him to move somewhere where he can’t give up because everyone around him has already broken down. “...you have to take your hope and go somewhere where other people have hope.” (43) This lights the fire in Junior where he realizes he needs to change everything for his survival or he will crumble. “There is always time to change your life.” (40) From there he decides to start fresh and begins a new life. At his new school, Reardan, Junior continues to carry the burden of being different and the bullying starts again. For a while he lets them pick on him like they did in his hometown, until one day he decides that things have to be different. He rises above every label and insult, and he turns his life around, proving again that nothing can break

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