In the last sentence on page 167, Junior says: "And all of us laughed as we walked and drove and rode our way back to our lonely, lonely houses." What is the irony in this? Why is this a powerful moment for Junior? What is he saying about his tribe?
On page 167 Junior states, "And all of us laughed as we walked and drove and rode our way back to our lonely, lonely houses." This quote is ironic because one of the most important members of the community died and everyone in the Rez is lonely. Having this aspect of irony shows the reader that life for people on the Rez is very difficult right now but laughing started to slowly heal the pain. This is such a powerful moment for Junior because everyone started to not make fun of him, because of the death of his Grandmother, and he is now starting to find his part in the community again. Junior implies that his tribe has always gone through a lot and having the ability to just laugh in hard times is keeping the community alive.
How will being not treated with disrespect affect Junior's relationships at school and home? How does the quote, "No matter what else happened between my tribe and me I would always love them" (160), relate in finding his identity? How will Grandmothers death affect him social and academic wise at school? Why was laughing at Grandmothers funeral so critical for the tribe?
Throughout the novel Junior has struggled to find being Indian's place in his identity. He tries to move past his culture, and even pretend that he’s something else. Yet, when Junior says "No matter what else happened between my tribe and me I would always love them" (160), it shows that he knows how big of role being Indian will play in his identity, no matter how he may act. It also reveals something about his character. His tribe has been pretty awful to him, but he is still able to forgive and even love them.
ReplyDeleteIf Arnold was treated with respect, he would be much more comfortable in the rez, because no one would call him names, beat him up, etc. The quote "No matter what else happened between my tribe and me i would always love them" means that Arnold sort of found his identity, since the tribe is where he truly belongs. Grandmother's death would make Arnold be more hopeful. Before his grandmother died, she drilled in some wisdom in Arnold's head. They used to mean nothing more than just words to him, but he could face the situations where her words of wisdom would be needed.
ReplyDeleteWhy was laughing at Grandmothers funeral so critical for the tribe?
ReplyDeleteI don't think the tribe was laughing at grandmother, but with grandmother. It was crucial because the tribe doesn't get to laugh much, or love much. This represented them coming together. They had been in a lot of pain lately, and had all turned on Junior. It also shows that even though they may fight sometimes, they will still stand as one. They feel things hat only their community members can relate to and they know that it is important to stay together. This also shows that they are forgiving him and being understanding.