Book Report on The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian

    For this post I choose to read The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian. The book is about a Indian boy named Arn (Arnold). Instead of going to normal Indian school in the reservation he decides to go to Reardan, which is 22 miles away so he has a chance of getting out of poverty. After going to Reardan he is treated like a traitor from everyone in the reservation, even his best friend. I think that the friendship of Arn and his best friend Rowdy is more complex than it looks like, and that when they weren't friends they were lost in the world.

    Rowdy is a tough kid and is like a body guard for Arn. In the book Arn said that he was the only one who could make Rowdy laugh. He also said that he was Rowdy's only friend. This shows that while Rowdy protects Arn from getting bullied, Rowdy is happy with Arn. Rowdy is mean to everyone because he is bullied by his drunken parents and he isn't accepted by many because he is a bully. Rowdy likes being powerful but also wants someone who will accept him and be his friend. Arn lets him guard him but is also his friend which is why they are both really good friends.

    Arn is weak and is an easy target for bullying. He is very smart and has a lot of potential in academics. Rowdy is there for him and will help make sure others won't hurt him. Arn also lets Rowdy feel strong and powerful because he isn't getting bully like at home, he stops the bullies. While Rowdy is the big and strong kid in the relationship Arn also gives Rowdy friend and if he didn't then Rowdy would be using his strength for the wrong causes because he would be very lonely. Arn helps Rowdy in the friendship as much as Rowdy helps Arn but Arn helps Rowdy in a mental way instead of physical.

    When Arn went to Reardan Rowdy felt betrayed and left Arn, he thought that this would only hurt Arn but it also hurt himself. I think this because he now had nobody to protect and now used his strength to hurt Arn. Arn on the other hand didnt need anyone to protect him in his new school. This means that when Rowdy left he hurt himself more than Arn without realizing it. Arn was harassed even more at his home because he was still a traitor to them. Arn now had to defend for himself instead of Rowdy doing it for him and Rowdy had to control himself without Arn.

    In a way there seperation helped them but they still need each other for guides in life. I think in the short flashback of Rowdy and Arn climbing the biggest tree, it showed that they both helped each other the equal amount and helped each other get to the very top. When I first thought about their friendship I thought that Rowdy did most of the helping in the friendship but when I looked more closely I realized how strong of a character Arn was too. When I was younger I was really shy and if someone was saying mean stuff to me I would do anything or say anything because I was insecure. There was a boy named Sam Craig and he stood up for me and was my Rowdy. He was very hyper all the time and kids stayed away because he was weird. I was always his friend because he stood up for me. Until after anylizing this book I realized that I was like Arn and I was his only friend at the time. If you think about your old friendships you can realize that you could have helped with a mentally or physical way!