Loneliness

          On pages 82-84, Junior expresses a very strong desire to be noticed and accepted by his classmates. Junior has tried to talk to Penelope, and he has tried to stand up to the "tough" kids in the school. However, none of this puts Junior on the radar. On page 83, Junior says, "Well, Roger would nod his head at me, but he didn't socialize with me or anything. I wondered if maybe I should punch everybody in the face. Maybe they'd all pay attention to me then." Junior in this chapter is very depressed, confused, and lonely. Junior feels that he should be noticed and because he is not, he considers punching people in the face in order to be noticed. Junior throughout the book has been portrayed as a very studious, and diligent person; not someone who would punch another person in the face. Junior feels very lonely because of the lack of attention and popularity he receives.

        In science class, Junior is paying attention to his teacher, Mr. Dodge's lesson. Mr. Dodge explains to the class what petrified wood is made of and why it is considered wood.  Junior isn't a very articulate person and has trouble expressing his thoughts. Junior does mumble, "Petrified wood is not wood." (Alexie page 84) Mr. Dodge becomes very angry and responds by saying, "Okay, Arnold, if you're so smart, then tell us how the petrified wood works." Junior gives his explanation to Mr. Dodge who is laughing hysterically at this explanation. Junior now feels terrible, and for the first time Junior has been noticed but in a negative way. However Junior does salvage some pride as the class "know-it-all", Gordy responds to Mr. Dodge's laughter by saying that Junior was correct. Mr. Dodge is extremely upset and gives Gordy the credit for sharing the interesting fact. Junior even when he answers the question correctly is basically belittled by Mr. Dodge. Junior's confidence is rapidly diminishing because of the lack of support he gets from his parents and teachers as well as the little acknowledgement he receives from his peers. On top of that Rowdy and some of the people on the reservation have "shunned" him for leaving the reservation school. Junior feels alone because of the little attention he gets as well as the minimal support and no praise.

-Ryan