When
Junior says, "I don't know if hope is white. But I do know that hope for
me is like a mythical creature" (Alexie 51), he is talking about how he
wants hope, but can't have it. Junior's family is poor and lives in a very bad
neighborhood. People on the reservation don't have good schools, always get
into fights, and maintain an unsafe environment. Junior has always wanted to
have hope, to have a future, to live a fulfilling life, but so far, hope has
been unreachable. He then got the idea that kids from Reardan have everything.
Arnold says, "They were beautiful and smart and epic. They were filled
with hope." (Alexie 50). When he sees the children that go to Reardan, he
notices that they wear expensive clothing and have cool gadgets. Best of all...
hope. Hope is white for Junior because the only people who he sees have it, are
white. Arnold isn’t white and doesn’t have money. He has had no experience with white
kids, a white school, or being away from the rez. Arnold may reach his desired
dream, but there is a long road ahead of him.
I agree that Junior has a long way to go before he gets hope. He says that hope is a "mythical creature,"(Alexie 51). If mythical creatures are non-existent, then hope is also non-existent for him. If the kids at Reardan have hope, then he and his family must not. This point is supported when Junior says that:"Reardan is the opposite of the rez. It is the opposite of my family. It is the opposite of me,"(Alexie 56). At the moment, hope seems like a surreal and distant blur.
ReplyDeleteYes also Junior has given up himself. He states "I did not deserve to be here. I knew it; all of those kids knew it. Indians don't deserve anything. (Alexie 56). So many people for so many years have told Junior that he is not good enough and that he was meant to be nothing and do nothing with his life. He is convinced that only whites can have hope. It can be hard to believe in yourself when no one believes in you.
ReplyDeleteI do agree that Junior has very little hope/no hope; however, I do not think that he has given up. Junior says "I don't know if hope is white" (Alexie 51), not "Hope is white". This means that he still has a sliver of hope keeping him going that makes him think that, maybe, he could have a future. If Junior had absolutely no hope, and had therefore given up, he would not be attending a white school off the reservation. Nevertheless, Junior is attending an all white school to try and change his future; he has not stopped trying to reach his dreams.
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