#4. What is “absolutely the saddest thing in the world”? Explain why Junior says this and the implication.
Junior is talking about his geometry textbook-- the same one that was used thirty years ago by his mother. Junior describes it as being “absolutely the saddest thing in the world” (31) because he was expecting more of his new high school, and because it builds more on his idea that all Indians are poor. Also, Junior was about to kiss the book when he noticed his mother’s name in it. He was obviously really excited for class and to get his textbook, thus starting off the year on a good note. But then after seeing his mother’s name his positive attitude and excitement diminishes and he is shoved back into this little cycle of depression he’s created for himself, “...you’re poor because you’re stupid and ugly. And then you start believing that you’re stupid and ugly because you’re Indian. And because you’re Indian you start believing you’re destined to be poor.” (13)
Junior’s implication when he says this is that the reservation doesn’t have the money to buy new textbooks, so he is given the same ones his parents used. The way he says it, though it does effectively convey his idea, also manages to appear funny and light which goes along the lines of his narrative attitude. Even though the book deals with more serious topics like racial and ethnic discrimination, Junior uses the fact that his reservation’s high school faults to convey the more important underlying issues. Also, because his book was used by his mother thirty years ago, it makes him feel more self-conscious instead of just doing the work and having a good time with it which was his original intent before he discovered his mother’s name. Now that he has replenished his belief that all Indians are poor and regarded as lesser to other people, it will make high school and learning in general less enjoyable for him because he feels less capable.
What are some other things that Junior has mentioned so far which go along with his idea that all Indians are poor because they are Indians, and could also be described as “the saddest thing in the world”? Do you think that Junior would’ve had the same reaction had it been someone else’s name in his book (not his mom but around the same age)?
I think that Junior would not have had the same reaction to his book because he knows when his mother went to school and thus knowing how old the book was. He was so mad because he knows that the people who bought the books don't really care about the quality of the books the Indian school is getting and he knows if he was white in opposition to Indian, he would probably get new books every year or so. He definitely wouldn't flip out and throw his book at Mr. P if it was not his mom’s book because he would not get as angry. - Durfee
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, but one point I think you should add also that within the story there is a cycle that his family is going through. The cycle of poverty is there. The high school is playing a big part of this cycle by not upgrading any of its materials. Junior is using the same material that his parents used in high school and no change of material has happened. He is learning the same things his parents have learned in high school, making it impossible to have a higher education than his parents. This enables them to not have a high economic status. They end up being stuck. Money is one of the main points that is not allowing the family to progress. They can not look for better opportunities without access to money. Junior has his mindset that Indians are less than. With that mindset, it keeps him from doing better for himself.
ReplyDeleteHow do you get out of the cycle?
By Jeremiah Mathieu
I also think, like you said, that having the book that was used by his mother makes him self-conscious and sad because he was excited to learn before, and then he realized that the school was reusing old books because they were poor and couldn’t buy new ones. I think that it is sad that the school can’t even buy one new textbook for this class that he was very excited about. I think that another thing that goes along with what he was saying about Indians being poor and having things being described as “the saddest thing in the world” is when he says in the first chapter, that the Indian Health Insurance only pays for one major appointment a year, which is why he had to get all of his teeth pulled at once. Also another example would maybe be when he talks about the teachers and how they have to live in the compound behind the school to teach there, and how he explains that they have to stay in the “one-bedroom cottages and musty, old trailer houses”, which don’t sound too appealing or like the best living situation, which is adding on to how he is saying that Indians are poor. Also, I think that if the book had someone else’s name in it, that Junior would still be a little upset, because the school is still reusing thirty year old books, because it was his mom’s book, and he knows a lot about her, like when she had him and how long ago it was. I still think that Junior would be upset because it is still an old book, and it is still showing how cheap and upsetting his Reservation is.
ReplyDeleteIf it was someone else’s name in the book, and he did respond differently, why do you think he would have?
Elizabeth Knox
I agree with Elizabeth that another thing that Junior mentioned that would be the "saddest thing in the world" is how he had to get ten teeth pulled out at once and with all that pain, he only gets half the novocaine. I think this would be one of the saddest things in the world because Junior already knows that he is different being Indian and a kid who has brain damage but during this process, he feels the pain of being treated differently even more. He has to go through the procedure of pulling out ten teeth with only half the novocaine just because the dentists believe "that since they were Indians, they would feel half the pain." (2)
ReplyDeleteI also agree that he would have had a different reaction, because of the personal connection between him and his mother, and because he thought his mother (and father) had potential, as he illustrates on page 12. (Last night's reading). I think this makes it worse because it shows that even people from the Reservation that have potential still end up in poverty, because of that poverty. I think the main way to get out of the cycle would be to somehow get away from the Reservation, into a place with more opportunities, even if he is not necessarily more wealthy. To go back to the questions in the original post (I can't find a name), another example of a time poverty affected Junior's life was when Junior's dog dies because he does not have the money to send the dog to a vet. He also refers to the dog as his "best friend" (9), and losing one's best friend due to poverty, as well as everything Junior has already experienced due to racism and poverty, would be to much to bear for almost anyone.
ReplyDeleteDo you think Rowdy ever gets in trouble when he does stuff like vandalism (20), or is law enforcement uncommon on the rez.? Could that be another disadvantage (except for Rowdy) of living on the rez.?
I agree that there textbook situation is depressing, but I also think that the fact that almost no one has a job, they are very isolated in how they live. The reservation is a very depressing place, and what it seems like so far dreams don't get you very far. The story is coming from him but what you don't see is how most other people feel. The Andruss triplets seem very lost and how they solve their problems is through drinking and bullying. Mr. P is also a symbol in the book because if you look at it in a different way he doesn't want to wake up in the morning, to him there is no reason. There whole world is trapped from the outside, a good example of this is when junior explains that al teachers live behind the school in old trailers, but everyone feels this way kids drink at 14 and younger, and no one has real meaning in their life.
ReplyDeleteI think that Junior would have reacted differently if the geometry book he received was not his mother’s. His parents are a symbol for what is destined to happen to him because of the cycle of poverty, and Junior has always been able to look past that, hoping his art and enthusiasm for school might push him to the top. However once he gets his mother’s book the financial situation of the reserve and the racism that Native Americans face is a lot more personal to him, as it’s almost rubbing in his face that he is bound to the same path as his mother and destined to abandon his dream.
ReplyDelete