As I was reading I noticed that Arnold seems to start out having a negative outlook on life. He doesn't want to live on the rez, and he tends to single himself out as being strange and hated on the rez. He does this when he says things like "Ten teeth past normal" as a way to describe how he had extra teeth when he was born. He doesn't have to describe it like that, and he is kind of cynical about life on the rez, and sees it as something that will make you less of a person, or a worse person. Although he doesn't want to live on the rez, he doesn't go out of his way to get off the rez until his teacher tells him to go to school somewhere else because he doesn't want his to lose hope. I think this just kind of strengthens the idea that life on the rez is hopeless. When his teacher tells him that his sister lost hope and he should leave, I understood what the teacher meant by he isn't gonna get anywhere if he is surrounded by hopeless people. I get what he means when he talks about how if you are surrounded by people who feel bad, you will start to feel bad as well. I think this was important in the book because Arnold starts to go after his dream of not ending up like everyone else on the rez, and in doing so he loses a friend. I think a lesson everyone could take from this is that even when something seems achievable and will have consequences, you should try, because you will never know what would have happened if you didn't try, especially if it is something that means a lot to you and you will be destined to be unhappy if you don't.
From the way you describe it it seems like the language of the book changes as his outlook on life changes.
ReplyDeleteLike, when I was in fifth grade we read that Edgar Allen Poe poem with the raven and just about the only thing I remember from that is that he kept asking questions he knew would have negative answers and maybe it's a bit like that.
this is super rad lol i didnt really read it very much but im doing this for homework so good meepmorp.
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