Thursday, November 12, 2015
In Junior's mind, what is a "real Indian?" By: Kimia
In Juniors mind, a real Indian is someone who "just lives in the woods like a hermit." (Alexei, 58) This is stating one of the stereotypes people believe about Indians. Before this quote, a passage says that Junior feels worthless and stupid. Junior is feeling internalized oppression, and he is starting to think that he is not a "real Indian." Junior doesn't feel like he belongs to this new society. At the rez, Junior would blend in with the crowd. At Reardan, he doesn't feel welcome and appreciated. Junior has been deeply affected by the idea of being a "real Indian" and living up to other people's expectations. Junior is trying to do what is right for himself and for his Indian culture, but at many times throughout this novel, he is failing to do so.
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Kimia, I think this is a really good explanation of the stereotype Junior and other Indians think of themselves. But there some other stereotypes that the Indians on JR's reservation call themselves or thoughts they have about all Indians. For example, Junior says/thinks "Indians don't deserve s***." (Alexei 56) when he enters Reardan. That is a stereotype, along with your quote that the Indians created for themselves. This is exactly what Mr. P was talking about when he said that all the Indians should get punched too. They create an idea that they are utterly worthless, and don't try to prove others who have the same idea wrong, they try to make it true.
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