Why is Junior hesitant to tell Rowdy? Why does he tell him? How does Rowdy react? Why does he react this way? (Asher)
Junior is hesitant to tell Rowdy that he is transferring to Reardan because he knows Rowdy hates Reardan. This is because Reardan destroyed their school in every competition the past year, and Rowdy thinks everyone at Reardan is racist and arrogant, as he examples on page 52 when he yells at Junior “‘You always thought you were better than me’”. He also says that he doesn’t even drive through the town Reardan is in, when asked about going to school there. However, this is probably because many people there are racist, and Junior, earlier in book, said that Reardan is “filled with farmers and rednecks and racist cops that stop every Indian that drives through” (46).
Junior does end up telling Rowdy only because Rowdy is his best friend, and without his best friend, he would be more alone than ever. He already gets bullied and shoved around, and not only does Rowdy protect him physically, but Rowdy is his only friend, protecting him emotionally, and giving him one more person he hasn’t given up on, therefore bringing him hope. Mr. P explains this ideology on page 42, when he says about Rowdy, “‘you’re the only good thing in his life. He doesn’t want to give that up. It’s the only thing he hasn’t given up...hope’”
Rowdy does not react well. He gets extremely mad, and it is implied that he thinks Junior is a traitor for transferring to Reardan. Junior tries touching him to plead with him, and he turns around and punches Junior in the face. I think he reacts this way because of his stereotypes of people who go to Reardan, and the fact that a lot of people there are racist, so it feels like Junior is joining their side, the sides being Native American and White. I think he also feels jealous, because he realizes that Junior has better opportunities there, but he is to afraid of and angry with Reardan to go there.
I think Junior is hesitant to tell Rowdy that he is transferring to Reardan because he knows that not only Rowdy hates the school but Arnold knows that their relationship will be broken up because they will not see each other at school anymore and Arnold will be considered a traitor and a reject because he is going to an all white school and leaving the Indians, and metaphorically leaving his Indian spirit behind. Rowdy, when Arnold leaves, will have no friends at School and will be lonely and he will miss Arnold. Rowdy is also angry at Arnold because he thinks that Arnold is going to Reardan, away from the Indian kids, because he thinks he is better than everybody else.
ReplyDeleteI think there was a mix of emotions. Arnold was not only scared but also feel sorry for Rowdy because first of all, he knows that fact that Rowdy is an emotional and impulsive kid who would physically torture a “traitor” of the reservation. He got “punched hard in his face by his best friend,” Rowdy, who used “back him up” all the time and was left a “purple, blue, yellow, and black eye.” On the other side, he also feels sorry for Rowdy because as his one and only friend, he understands Rowdy would be all alone with his abusive dad after Arnold leaves the reservation. Rowdy thought Arnold was a “pus--” then said “you always think you are better than me” to show his hopelessness and anger towards Arnold’s absence in the future.
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