#8. Interpret/explain/explore the context and significance of the last line of the book (230). (Lucian W.)

The last line of the book: “We didn’t keep score”, hints at the fact that Rowdy and Junior might be becoming friends again (Alexie 230). The quote does this by telling the reader that the game wasn’t meant to be competitive, it was just two friends having fun together. If they were still fighting, Rowdy would have been much more aggressive and would definitely have kept score. When Junior and Rowdy were fighting, all they wanted was revenge on each other: “I wanted to win. I wanted revenge… I was playing to beat Rowdy” (Alexie 182-183). Basketball is what bonds Rowdy and Junior the most, so for them to have a nice relaxed game together really means something special. Junior and Rowdy are both very competitive people when it comes to basketball, and they both always want to win, so when they don’t keep score it shows that they really just want to be together. Last time Junior and Rowdy played basketball together, Junior ended up crying because of Rowdy, and the time before that, Rowdy gave Junior a concussion. So when they play without rivalry or hate, it means that they really do love each other.

#8 Why does Arnold cry on pages 216 and 217? (Chloe W)

The reason Arnold cries in pages 216 and 217 is because he realized everyone on the rez is drunk and unhappy and that they will never leave and be anything bigger or better than what they are “I cried because so many of my fellow tribe members were slowly killing themselves and I wanted them to live. I wanted them to get strong and sober and get the hell off the rez”(Alexie 216). Arnold realizes he has been able to escape the depression and imprisonment of the rez, and he wants that for the Spokans, but he knows as a fourteen-year-old he can’t change the minds of broken and drunk Indians so he cries  “I wept because I was the only one who was brave and crazy enough to leave the rez. I was the only one with enough arrogance (Alexie 217).

#8. Interpret/explain/explore the context and significance of the last line of the book (230). (AS)

At the last sentence of the book Junior narrates these words. "We didn't keep score" (230). He is finally reunited with Rowdy as they play one-on-one basketball. He knows that he does not have to keep score because him and Rowdy are finally together and nothing else matters to Junior in that moment. Junior wanted to stay on the basketball court with Rowdy as long as he could, because all he cared about was having his friendship back with his best friend. "Rowdy and I played one-on-one for hours. We played until dark. We played until the streetlights lit up the court. We played until the bats swooped down at our heads. We played until the moon was huge and golden and perfect in the dark sky" (230). Although the day was ending, Junior and Rowdy would not end their game. As Junior and Rowdy glued their friendship back together with basketball, Junior knows that Rowdy has forgiven him.

#7. Summarize the cartoon on 182. What is the significance? What does it show about Junior? What is his dilemma? (Maddy S.)

The cartoon on page 182 shows the difference between how Junior is treated playing basketball at the Wellpinit gym and how Junior is treated playing at the Reardan gym. In the Wellpinit gym, Junior depicts himself as a devil because the Indians treat him like a traitor and devil. This is proven when it says “The rez basketball fans were chanting, ‘Ar-nold sucks! Ar-nold sucks! Ar-nold sucks!’” (Alexie 143).  This is different from the the picture of him at the Reardan gym, where he is depicted as an angel, because everyone at Reardan treats him like a hero and an angel. Junior is a talented basketball player and an amazing shooter, so Reardan is proud to have him on the team. He is even interviewed by a news reporter! This is shown when it says “everybody, even Coach, came up to me and patted my head or shoulder, or bumped fists with me, or gave me a hug.” (Alexie 186). In other words, the difference between the way people treat Junior in Wellpinit versus in Reardan is that people in Reardan respect Junior. Because of this, he would need to win this game to prove the people on the rez and in Wellpinit wrong. He would need to show them that he wouldn’t be stopped because of their verbal, and sometimes physical, attacks on him. All of this is the deeper meaning of this cartoon.

#7. Summarize the cartoon on 182. What is the significance? What does it show about Junior? What is his dilemma? (Thomas S.)

In the cartoon on 182, there are two pictures of him. In the first picture with a caption of “In Wellpinit Gym”, he is drawn as the devil and the crowd is shouting “BOO!” and “White Lover!”. In the second picture labeled “In Reardan Gym”, The crowd is saying “YAAY!” and “Destroy them, Arnold!”. In both pictures he is saying to himself, “Who am I?” This cartoon is so powerful because he is thinking the same thing in both pictures, so he does not change when he goes from Reardan to the rez.  However, people think he changes and others perception of him change depending on where he goes. Junior’s dilemma is that he doesn’t know his identity.

#6 What was Junior’s grandmother’s greatest gift? What has happened to Indians’ sense of tolerance? Why has that occurred? (Daniel K.)

Grandma's greatest gift was her tolerance. She could accept anybody and anything for who they are. Junior says that a long time ago people were valued for their eccentricity and weirdness. Gay people were considered more than straight people basically. Now, white people brought Christianity and made people scared of anything out of the ordinary. Indians could be more judgmental than any other white person, but Junior's grandmother has hung on to that old sense of tolerance. When Arnold went to Reardan she thought that it was a perfect idea because of all the new experiences that he would have. Everybody else thought that he was insane and was a traitor because he didn’t follow the same path as everybody else.

#6. Who is the first game against? How is he treated by the crowd at the first game? How does the team (and coach) react/support him? How does this impact him? (Shane H.)

After Junior changed schools, he was viewed as a traitor and an outcast to the reservation. As Junior’s team travels to Wellpinit High School, Junior’s old school, he is nervous of what might happen in the gym. When Junior’s team arrived, the Coach tell Junior “ ‘You don’t have to play this one,’ he said. ‘Yes, I do...,’” was Junior’s reply (Alexie 143). Junior does not know what will happen during the game, and that is what scares him. However, the way Coach gave him the option to sit the game out let Junior know that he had his Coach’s support. Junior decides to play with his new “family.” When the team entered the gym and Junior was shunned by the crowd, his team mates, especial Roger, stood by Junior and gave him a real home with the team. Junior went on to play the game but sustained two head injuries; a cut and a concussion. Later that night, Junior’s coach came to the hospital and stayed the night with Junior. The coach is showing that the basketball team, and soon the school, are ready to accept Junior as one of their own.