On page 132, Gordy says: "Well, life is a constant struggle between being an individual and being a member of the community." Explain this quote and how it relates to Junior, and also to a main theme in the novel. Charlotte Trodden.

When Gordy says "Well life us a constant struggle between being an individual and being a member

 of the community.", it seems like a normal Gordy quote. He always says weird deep things that are

 way too mature for a Freshman. But, when thought about more deeply, it is clear that this quote

 relates to Junior's life. For example, on page 20, when talking about Rowdy, Junior says, "I am his 

friend, his best friend, his only friend. He wouldn't hurt me." This shows that Junior is part of a tribe

 or a community. He has a tight community too not only with Rowdy but with his sister,

 Grandmother, Mother, Father and other friends. But, when Junior is at Rearden, or on his way to

 Rearden, he has no community to be a part of. This is shown on page 83 when Junior is talking about

 his time at Rearden and says "It was the loneliest time of my life." He also says "I woke up on the

 reservation as an Indian, and somewhere on the road to Rearden, I became something than that

 Indian. And once I arrived at Rearden, I became something less than less than less than Indian." This

 all changes in "Slouching Towards Thanksgiving" and "Hunger Pains" when he befriends Gordy, 

Penelope, and eventually many others. This relates to the main theme of identity in the novel because

 Junior is trying to figure out who he is and one of the main parts of identity is who the person is 

friends with and who they associate themselves with.

Questions

1: What is one example of identity in the chapters we read for homework?

2: How is Junior's identity starting to show in his actions and words?

3: How does Junior feel about Penelope and Gordy and how they are affecting him (use text support)?