Why does Junior say he would always love his tribe? What do you think this reveals about Junior?
Riana Desai

When Arnold’s grandmother died, Junior says “People had either ignored me or called me

names or pushed me. But they stopped after my grandmother died… I would always love [my tribe]

for giving me peace on the day of my grandmother’s funeral” (160). This quote symbolizes

that the death of Arnold’s grandmother affected not only Arnold but his whole tribe. Death

was hard for this tribe because losing one person felt like losing more of the small community

they had. Arnold, later on, states that “Each funeral was a funeral for all of us. We lived and

died together”(166). This tribe is so close and tight-knit, that everybody knew Arnold’s

grandmother and they were in pain when she was killed. For this reason, the tribe can forgive

Arnold because they realize why he left the reservation. Arnold left because he was seeking

hope in a new place where he would find an opportunity to become more than himself. He

wanted to experience a real life in a place where he could be happy.

Arnold respecting his tribe shows how he respects and he tries to look for the best in people.

This is shown because Arnold forgives his tribe. The book highlights his tribe forgiving him,

but the truth is that Arnold was the one with the right to be mad. All he did was try to find

more hope and opportunities, and his tribe was not supportive of his decision. They had no

right to be mean to him because Arnold still lived on the rez. He didn’t completely leave, yet

his tribe was really mad. They were jealous that he had enough courage to walk off to

Reardon in one day.

Who do you think has the right to be mad? Arnold? His tribe?
Do you think that more Indians will follow Arnold and move to Reardon hoping for a better life