The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

Junior’s father goes on a drinking bender, and when he returns, he gives Junior his last five dollars as a Christmas present. Junior describes the gift as a “beautiful and ugly thing.” What does Junior mean by this? What else is Absolutely True Diary might be considered “beautiful and ugly”?

Junior’s relationship with the Reservation is complicated and often contradictory. At times, the reservation seems like a place of despair, yet other times it seems a place of love and great joy. How has the reservation shaped the way Junior sees the world, and how does his relationship to it change and grow?

Junior and Rowdy were born on the same day and are childhood best friends, but they develop into two entirely different characters. How does their relationship change over the course of the book? What brings them together and pushes them apart? What sort of friendship do they have at the end of the book, if any?

Junior’s two closest friends are Rowdy, whom he has known since childhood, and Gordy, whom he meets at Reardan. How do the friendships compare, and how do the different relationships allow Junior to explore different parts of his identity?

Mr. P describes Mary Runs Away as “the smartest kid [he’s] ever had,” smarter even than Junior (26). How do the lives of Mary Runs Away and Junior compare? How are they similar, and how are they different? Consider Mary’s letters to Junior in your answer.

Junior says that he draws cartoons because he “wants to talk to the world,” and includes his cartoons and sketches throughout the novel. How do these cartoons contribute to The Absolutely True Diary? What do they allow him to do, or show, what words cannot? What do the different cartoon styles suggest?

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is a coming-of-age story with Junior at its center. How does Junior come of age over the course of the book? What are pivotal moments in his development? How is different from when we meet him at the book’s beginning?

Gordy asserts “Life is a constant struggle between being an individual and being a member of the community.” In what ways does this observation play out over the course of the novel? How is Junior’s individuality at odds with his different communities, and how does he reconcile this over the course of the novel?