The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (1-60)

Summary
          In these first few chapters of this ,ironically, fiction book we are introduced to Junior. A fourteen year old Native American living on an Indian Reservation. He is skinny, has thick black classes, huge hands and feet. He has an equally huge skull to go along with his hands and feet. As a baby he had water on the brain so he needed a surgery that would remove it. He was not supposed the survive the surgery but he did. As a result of the surgery he has physical problems. Some of which include being born with forty two teeth instead of the normal thirty two.
          Junior spends most of his time up in his room drawing cartoons of things that happen around him. he does not have much friends because everyone calls him a retard because of his stuttering problems. Through his art he thinks he will become rich and famous, that is his way out of the reservation. he also likes to draw because he thinks, unlike words, a picture is something that everyone will understand.
           Junior knows that his cartoons will never take the place of food or money.  He wishes he were magical and could make the things he draws into food or money. Junior does not like being poor, because oftentimes he and his family must go hungry, but lack of food is not the worst thing about poverty.
          The worst thing about poverty is not being able to help those you love. Junior's best friend is his dog, Oscar who got really sick. Oscar  was more precious to Junior than any person in his life.  He told his mother that Oscar needed to see the vet, but his Mom regretfully told him there was no money for Oscar.  Junior begged his Mom, offering to get a job and pay the doctor back, but then realized that there were no jobs that a reservation Indian boy could get.  There was nothing he could do to save Oscar.
          When Junior's Dad came home, he took his rifle from the closet and told Junior to carry Oscar outside. Realizing that he was helplessly trapped in the cycle of poverty, Junior gently picked up Oscar and took him outside. He ran away as fast as he could so as not to hear the sound of the shot, but could not escape the "boom of his father's rifle when he shot his best friend" (Alexie 59).  Bitterly, Junior reflects that a bullet only costs two cents, anybody can afford that.
Quote
          I wish I were magical, but I am really just a poor-ass reservation kid living with his poor-ass family on the poor-ass Spokane Indian Reservation. (Alexie 50).

Reaction
          I think this quote that Junior says completely describes him. Junior hates hi life period. He does not like his family. He did not like the reservation and he does not like himself. This makes me wonder where junior will end up in life because with such negative thoughts, I do not think he will ever be able to leave the reservation. He will not want to do as good in school, so he will not get as good of a job as he should. then he will end up as those other stereotypical Native Americans that drink all their problems away.