Which Side?

On page 182, there is a cartoon drawing of Arnold looking like the devil in the Wellpinit Gym with fans yelling "White Lover!" In the second half of the cartoon, there is a picture of Arnold looking like the angel at the Reardan Gym with fans yelling "Destroy them, Arnold!" Lastly, in both pictures there is a thought bubble from Arnold saying, "Who am I?"

While I was looking at this cartoon, the first thing that immediately struck me was the metaphor of a devil and an angel. I found it somewhat ironic to think that at his real home, where his real friends are, he's portrayed as the devil. Then, at his new school, where he has only been attending for a few months, he's portrayed as an angel. Also, a devil is usually red or brown and an angel is usually white, which, in this case represents the skin color of the people at Wellpinit against the skin color of the people at Reardan. This shows the point that at Wellpinit Arnold is viewed fully as an Indian, and at Reardan he's still an Indian, but fits in as a white person some of the time, making him a Part-Time Indian. 

After I noticed the point about the devil versus the angel, I noticed the "Who am I?" bubbles. I think that this aspect of the drawing is extremely crucial to the understanding of the main idea because it's explaining that Arnold is not sure which side he's on. Is he a full Indian? Or is he someone who acts partly as an Indian, but partly as a white?

When I finished dissecting the image, I realized that this very image, while it may just seem to be an "extra," may be the basis for the title of the story. Then, with this image and its meaning in mind, I am lead to think that Arnold may choose to be a Part Time Indian, who has great potential to succeed outside of the rez.

--Sophia