Junior
was at his grandmother’s funeral and it had just ended and everyone was going
home. This quote includes irony because they were at a very sad event which
most people usually crying. Instead of crying though, they were all laughing. “When
it comes to death, we know that laughter and tears are pretty much the same
thing (p. 166).” This shows that the tribe doesn’t care whether they are
laughing or crying, because they are the same thing. In their culture, laugh or
cry, they are all appreciating the person who died together as tribe. Junior
also says, “Each funeral was a funeral for all of us. We lived and died
together (p. 166).” As a tribe they are all very close to each other and when
one person’s family member dies, it is a loss for everyone. They all laugh,
cry, and help each other which is why they are so close. For example, even
though Junior is a “traitor” for leaving the reservation to go to Reardon, when
his grandmother dies, his tribe respects his pain. “I was still the kid who had
betrayed the tribe. And that couldn’t be forgiven…So they all waved the white
flag that day and let me grieve in peace (p. 159).” Junior is thankful that his
tribe isn’t being mean to him on the day that he is grieving for his
grandmother. This shows that no matter how mad Junior makes his tribe, they
will still always respect and leave him in peace when a family member dies.
This entire day is important for Junior because it is his final goodbye to his
grandmother and it is also a day of peace for him to mourn or laugh. In conclusion, Junior’s tribe is respectful
and understanding.
Do you think Junior will encounter another death? If yes
then what happens? Will Junior’s tribe give him more peace, or will they get
mad at him again tomorrow? Why do you think Junior and his tribe believe that
tears and laughter are practically the same thing?
I think that his tribe will forgive him, at least for a few months. Earlier in the book, during the Beat-'Em-Up Halloween, he states [They didn't want to hurt me, they just wanted to remind me that I was a traitor.] This implies that they don't care as much about him as they do about the idea of him betraying his tribe. They have given him considerate grief throughout this book, and as it states [2,000 indians showed up to her [grandma's] sendoff], his grandmother was very well known. They also probably knew how important she was to him. Between these things, I believe that his tribe realized that he was hurting enough, and that they had been cruel enough for now. The only person who is exempt from this is Rowdy, mostly because he has personal connections to this incident. Do you think that Rowdy will ever come to forgive Junior?
ReplyDeleteI think that eventually, some time in the future, Rowdy will forgive Junior. After Reardan beats Wellpinit in basketball, Junior sends Rowdy an email, and although Rowdy's reply is rude and homophobic, Junior is happy because he thinks "it was also a little bit friendly, and it was the first time that Rowdy had talked to me since I left the rez"(198). The fact that Rowdy replied instead of sending back inappropriate pictures shows that he has made progress because it shows that he thoroughly read Junior's email and thought about what to reply with. Earlier on in the book, Rowdy was so furious that to Junior it seemed like "he wanted to kill me, face-to-face"(144), but now Rowdy has changed. Rowdy is not as furious as he was earlier, and he is not ignoring Junior anymore. How do you think Rowdy has changed? Why do you think Rowdy has changed?
ReplyDeleteIn response to the last question, I believe that they are celebrating the life of Junior's grandmother, instead of drowning themselves in their own sorrow. They cry then laugh because originally they are depressed over their loss, but quickly they learn that it is important to see the positive instead as the negative like Junior. He always seeing what has gone right, then comparing it to what needs improvement. This is the route he took in mourning the death of his beloved grandmother. This is shown when he and his tribe members laugh over his grandmother's death and comforting themselves through fun. Overall, tears and laughter are part of the experience.
ReplyDeleteAnswering the third question, I believe that they will him have some peace since two people of importance to him died almost simultaneously.His tribe knows what it feels like to lose people that they love. So they know that Arnold is going through some serious things which is why they left him at peace. They may get mad again if Arnold does something that upsets the tribe but definitely not in a day or so. If Arnold were to do something to upset the tribe, what do you think it would be?
ReplyDeleteIn response to Lindsay's third and final question, I think they believe that crying and laughing was the same thing because for Indians the difference between good and bad days is almost nonexistent. Junior says, "We Indians have LOST EVERYTHING. WE lost our native land, we lost our languages, we lost our songs and dances. We lost each other. We only know how to lose and be lost." (173). I thought this was a very powerful passage because it highlights how very grieved Junior is, and rightfully so. This passage is also important because it shows that no matter how much better Junior's life got, no matter how "white" he supposedly became, he still has to deal with all the sadness and despair and lost hope that all the Indians had to deal with together. Another extremely important passage was "Each funeral was a funeral for all of us [Indians]. We lived and died together." (166). I thought that this was important because it shows Junior getting back to his Indian roots. He wasn't being tormented so much and he was finally reconnecting with his tribe. I understand that this was a very sad reading, but I also think it's beginning to show us how Junior can be part of Reardan while still being and Indian Do you think that at the end Junior really can be an Indian while still going to Reardan? Do you think that Rowdy will ever be able to fully forgive Junior? Why or why not?
ReplyDeleteTo answer Mia's question, I think Junior already has become somewhat of an Indian at Reardan. He's already told people he's poor. He's somewhat figured out that he'll never be a "white" person. He still loves lots of aspects about his tribe. It's almost like he's never even left the Rez to some people. Still, I think the hardest thing to overcome will still be Rowdy. Rowdy has shown great hate towards Junior after leaving the Rez. Rowdy has this thing, that most of the other Indians on the Rez have, where they don't even want to be around someone who's hanging out with white people. He showed this right after Junior told him he was going to Reardan when he beat him up. So even if they do become friends again, I don't think it'll ever be as strong as it was before all of this happened. The lack of someone to count on every single day of the year is still going to be missing for Junior, and that's what I think will make this whole experience go south.
ReplyDelete