#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.
I agree. It seems that in these two images of Junior, he does not know who he is. Junior continues to be confused on who is expected to be and who he wants to be. "Jeez, I felt like one of those Indian scouts who led the U.S Cavalry against other Indians" (Alexie 182). Junior knows that he appears to be a traitor to his Rez friends. Except he knows in his mind that he is in search of a better future, and although he has to give up many friendships at the Rez, he is willing to take that sacrifice.
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ReplyDeleteI agree. This cartoon is very meaningful, because in some ways it represents the whole book. This drawing shows two different ways that people think of Arnold: one good, one bad. It also shows his two different lives. In both drawings, Arnold is thinking to himself "who am I?", but on the Reardan side it says, "who AM I?" (Alexie 182). These thoughts show the reader how Arnold thinks of himself when surrounded by different people. When he is surrounded by the Reardan kids, he is wondering how he's actually the center of attention. Where as in the Wellpinit gym he wonders who he really is: is he really still Indian?
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