Indians' Hardships In “The Absolutely True Diary Of A Part-time Indian”

Different countries have different economic status. There are developed countries and the developing countries. In the first nations, people undergo several hardships mainly due to the weak economic states for the nations and occur in different forms. The story “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” gives an account of a boy at his teenage period and living in India. Through the boy’s story in conjunction with the film “Indian Horse,” there is the portrayal of the problems that face India as a first nation. The hardships that face the Indians are poverty, education, and racism.

First, poverty is a great hardship that is facing Indians. The high level of poverty among the Indians denies them of the basic needs and hinders them from realizing their dreams in life. Most of the Indians are living in a poor economic state in Washigton. They have very low affordability of food and other basic needs, and this miserable state of living makes it difficult for them to cope with life. The poverty facing Indians is so high to the level that they cannot afford the basic human needs including food. As Alexie (3), states, Junior always complained of lack of food and wished he could perform magic and turn the cartoons into food. Poverty also made it hard for Indians to afford adequate dressing. Alexie says that at one point, Junior went to school dressed as a homeless man (65). By dressing as a homeless man, it means that junior could not afford to purchase clothes that could adequately cover his body. Further, Indians see it hard to achieve their dreams in life. According to Alexie (12), most of the Indians are experiencing difficulties in realizing their dreams as they lack the chances and facilitation to achieve them.

Indians are also suffering from educational hardships. The educational problems that connect with education include lack of adequate educational resources as well as a unique educational system that makes it difficult to assimilate with the Canadian system and culture. For instance, Junior states that he was forced to learn using the educational materials that his mother used during her high school period. As Junior states, “I was staring at a geometry book that was at least thirty years older than I was” (Alexie 25). These words show that the institution that Junior attended was not able to purchase other learning materials, a sign that there was a problem in educational facilitation. Further, there is some hardship in the Indian educational problem. The educational system in Indian residential school makes it hard for Indian students to assimilate with educational systems in other countries. For instance, Saul from the Indian horse family experienced a hard time trying to assimilate into to Canadian educational system after having lived in India for a considerable period (Pacet). In Canada, there were brutal schools that sought to help the formerly Indian students assimilate to the Canadian educational system (Pacet). Due to the difference in the Indian and Canadian educational system creates a rift between the Canadians and Indians.

Finally, racism is also a hardship that has affected Indians. The Indians who lived outside their nation are experiencing travel and relationship hardships due to racial discrimination. For instance, Junior who lives in the Indian reservations in Washington does not enjoy the freedom to travel across the region. At every police check, there must be a racist cop who always stops all Indians they come across (Alexie 38). The fact that the police stops every Indian show that they negatively perceive the Indians and consider them as lawbreakers. Racial discrimination against the Indians is also causing relationship problems among the Indians and Americans. At one time, Roger showed his dissatisfaction for Junior having a relationship with his daughter. Alexie uses the statement, “She's only dating you because she knows it will piss me off. So I ain't going to get pissed” (Alexie 92) to show that Roger perceived the relationship between Junior and his daughter as a plot by her daughter to annoy him for she knew her father was racist. Racism also makes it difficult for Saul to have a healthy relationship with the sports department in the Canadian school making it impossible for him to participate in hockey (Pacet). Racism against the Indians bars them from having a healthy social existence with the Americans and the Canadians.

In conclusion, one of the hardships facing the Indians is poverty, poor educational systems, and racism. Poverty is much intensive in that makes it hard for them to afford the basic needs and they end not achieving their dreams. Further Indians are suffering from poor educational systems which makes it hard for the American government to facilitate for the resources. The poor educational system in India also makes it difficult for the Indians to assimilate to that of Canada. Finally, racism is a severe hardship facing Indians in America and Canada. Racism is barring the Indians from enjoying the freedom to travel and associate with the Canadians and Americans. The three hardships that Indians face are making the overall economic and social life unbearable for them; they are forced to go an extra mile in order to cope with the hardships.