Post 1: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian

So far a major theme in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian has been breaking free of stereotypical roles. For Junior, it was breaking free of the dumb indian stereotype. He struggled with this both on and off the reservation. On the reservation, Junior is seen as a freak who is used to taking physical abuse. This all changes when he is confronted by his high school math teacher. His teacher gives him the motivation to get off the reservation before the oppression kills him and his hope. This conversation begins the act of breaking free of the stereotype for Junior. However, once he leaves for a school off the reservation, he still must try to break it. At his new high school, he faces discrimination from many of his peers and even some of his teachers. He must adopt a new set of social rules now that he is in a primarily white school. Before he transferred, the rules of life mostly depended on fighting. But when Junior starts a fight at Reardan, he is seen as tough guy. This baffles him. However, prejudice also exist between Junior and those of whom he is closest with. When he and Penelope begin to date, he tells the reader how he is the smudge that Penelope wants in order to make her life a little less perfect. She only wants to be with him because of his ethnicity.