It may have been a great day for Junior but it was also definitely confusing. He was confused by a couple of things that happened that night. First of all a simple confusing thing for him was the fact that a guy he punched in the face, Roger, let him borrow $40. It confused Junior because he didn't think that any person would let someone borrow that much money. It confused him on how much money a middle class person could have. The main thing that confused Junior was Penelope's reaction to Juniors poverty. He thought Penelope would leave his life because of it only to end up finding her making Junior's life easier. Junior realized "If you let people into your life a little bit, they can be pretty damn amazing" (129). Even then he was more confused by Penelope's reaction to him walking and hitchhiking every day. When Junior told her he couldn't believe his eyes that Penelope started crying over him. He never thought that people could care about him so much.
Do you agree with my answers? Do you think that Junior should have told Penelope he was poor earlier? Do you think their friendship will last? Do you think Junior will be popular forever?
I think Junior will remain popular. Penelope and Junior both know the secrets they have been hiding from everyone. This will strengthen their relationship. The longer they date, the more popular Junior will become. Also, Roger respects Junior and is nice to him. Roger is an important ally to Junior's image because he's the star athlete. Basketball tryouts are coming up. I predict that Junior will make the team and befriend all of the older kids. Soon he will probably be the coolest freshman. The only two things that could hinder such progression are his poorness getting out or Gordy. As a good of a friend he is, he is not very popular and will drag down Junior's image. If people find out he is poor, they might lose their respect for him.
ReplyDeleteDo you think Junior will have to chose between Gordy and popularity? Why or why not? Do you think Junior's secret will leak? If yes, what will happen?
I do think that it might have been a better idea to tell Penelope about is wealth before. Although it is quite understandable why he felt the need to keep his secret a secret. He didn't want his relationship to end with Penelope. I do believe that Penelope and Arnold's friendship will last especially because they know something about each other that many people do not know, and it will make their relationship stronger. As well as the well formed connection between Penelope and Arnold, I think that there is a long-lasting friendship that is creating between Gordy and Arnold.
ReplyDeleteTo answer Hadley's second question, I do think that Arnold's secret will leak. I think that it may stay a secret for a will longer, but not forever. Even though Penelope and Roger have been really nice to Arnold, I think that soon they will want to tell some more people and not keep it a secret anymore. If this doesn't happen, I think that someone or a group of people will be making fun of Arnold, insulting him, or pressuring him with questions about why he doesn't buy school lunch or why he doesn't want to buy something. I think this will get either Penelope, Roger, or both of them mad. Then they will just blurt out how poor Arnold is and that's why he can't buy something or why the kids should stop insulting him. Penelope and Roger will want the kids to stop and feel bad for Arnold because he is so poor. If Arnold's secret doesn't leak, I will be surprised because the secret is creating conflict in the book. Do you agree with my prediction? If Arnold's secret does leak, how do you think the other kids at school will respond to it? If Arnold's secret doesn't leak, do you think that Penelope and Roger will continue to help Arnold so much?
ReplyDeleteHonesty is the best policy, however, if Junior had told her too early, then she might have thought that he was just friends with her because she is nice and has money.
ReplyDeleteHe shouldn't have lied though, asking for help isn't a crime and i think the reason Arnold kept it from them is because he didn't believe that white people could be friends with or be nice to indians. He had an idea of what white people were like and when he saw that Penelope and Roger didn't fit the stereotype, he realized that letting people into your life can actually result positively.
I think that Roger and Penelope won't tell everyone at school Arnold's secret but they will probably encourage him to tell the truth. If his secret does leak, the fact that Penelope and Roger are extremely popular might make their opinions, everyone else's opinion too, considering the fact that they have a very big influence on the rest of the school.
If Arnold's secret does leak, I think that the other kids at Reardan will completely ostracize him. It is clear that they think he is rich (see 119: "the kids and parents at Reardan thought I had a lot of money"), and thus when his poverty is revealed, they will feel betrayed and shun him. In addition, the notion of being poor itself is looked down upon at a place like Reardan, where those with the highest economic status have the highest social status. Finally, one could argue that Penelope and Roger, who are incredibly loyal to Arnold, would be able to change the minds of the other kids, due to their popularity and influence. However, they have social lives of their own, and if too excluded by their peer group, they may eventually also abandon him. If this does happen, how do you think Arnold will react to this loss?
ReplyDelete