Multiple Perspectives: the Reservation
Throughout the novel, Arthur experiences firsthand the boundaries the reservation and his tribal community place him in. It is uncommon for members of Arthur’s tribe to leave the reservation, and Arthur faces the many consequences of leaving the reservation to attend Reardon. He loses his best friend, Rowdy, and is forced to become a part-time Indian. He ultimately is forced to choose between his Identity as a Native American and his desire to leave the reservation.
Arthur’s community is unsupportive of his choice to leave the reservation. He is viewed as a traitor, and nearly all of his community punishes him for this. On Arthur’s first day of school at Reardon, his father asks him if he has changed his mind and wants to go back to the school on the reservation. Arthur knows that he would be ridiculed even more by his classmates and community members and says, “Can you imagine what would have happened to me if I’d turned around and gone back to the rez school? I would have been pummeled. Mutilated. Crucified” (55). Arthur knows that the people of Spokane would not simply accept him back into the community of Spokane; he is already considered a traitor. On Halloween, Arthur attempts to raise money for the homeless, but is aware of the social situation between him and his fellow tribe members. He explains, “A few folks, especially the grandmothers, thought I was a brace little dude for going to a white school. But there were a lot more people who just called me names and slammed the door in my face” (79). Although some wiser tribe members could realize and appreciate what Arthur was doing, much of the community chose to be angered by Arthur’s decision to leave the reservation. During the basketball game when Reardon played Wellpinit on the reservation, his entire community literally turned their backs on Arthur as a display of contempt. Arthur describes the scene, “And, then, as one, they all turned their backs on me. It was a freaking awesome display of contempt. I was impressed” (144). Of course, Arthur was not pleased that the display was made towards him, but he was impressed that the entire community had banded together to make a statement against something.
Arthur’s community develops stigmas about those who choose to leave the reservation, including Arthur himself. Arthur explains to Gordy, his friend at Reardon, the logic behind his community’s hatred of those who leave the reservation: “[…] some Indians think you have to act white to make your life better. Some Indians think you become white if you try to make your life better, if you become successful” (131). According to Arthur, Spokane Indians believe that anyone who leaves the reservation is attempting to become or act white. Furthermore, any Indian who becomes successful or improves his or her quality of life is actually becoming white. Thus, his community believes that Arthur is attempting to become white because he is trying to make his own life better. Arthur’s community members even develop the derogatory term “apple” for Arthur, and others who leave the reservation “because they think [he] is red on the outside and white on the inside” (132). They think that Arthur is betraying his culture as a Spokane Indian to become white on the inside.
Arthur also deals with feelings of betrayal for leaving his reservation. He knows that his choice to leave the reservation is irreversible. He says, “You can’t just betray your tribe and then change your mind ten minutes later. I was on a one-way bridge. There was no way to turn around, even if I wanted to” (55). Understanding the weight of his decision, Arthur knows that it is something he cannot just undo. His tribe members will always feel that he has betrayed them, even if he decides to return to Spokane permanently.
Although Arthur’s family is proud of him for trying to better his life, he still feels guilt for leaving them and the reservation. No one in the Spirit family has ever left the reservation. His mother even says, “You’ll be the first one to ever leave the rez this way […] The Indians around here are going to be angry with you” (47). His mother understands that challenges Arthur will encounter, particularly with his tribe members, but does not hinder her son in his pursuit of leaving the reservation. Arthur’s family’s history is rooted in the Spokane reservation. He describes the long history: “Ever since the Spokane Indian Reservation was founded back in 1881, nobody in my family had every lived anywhere else. We Spirits stay in one place. We are absolutely tribal” (89). Despite his parents’ support for his decision to leave the reservation, Arthur still blames his leaving for all of the tragedies his family endures throughout the school year. Arthur says, “I had cursed my family. I had left the tribe, and had broken something inside all of us, and now I was being punished” (173). He blames his sister’s death on his decision to attend Reardon.
Additionally, Arthur struggles with choosing an identity after he leaves the reservation for Reardon. He says he “felt like two different people inside of one body” (61). He still wants to be a part of Spokane, but also wants to assimilate, to some extent, to his classmates at Reardon. He cannot deny his cultural and familial roots in Spokane, but wants to advance his life and become something greater than what he surely would be destined to be if he had stayed at Wellpinit. Every morning, he undergoes a transformation in identity as he travels from his home in Spokane to his school in Reardon. He describes the transition, “[…] I woke up on the reservation as an Indian, and somewhere on the road to Reardon, I became something less than Indian. And once I arrived at Reardon, I became something less than less than less than Indian” (83). Arthur realizes that he must compromise his Indian identity in order to succeed. However, he struggles with becoming “less than Indian” in his pursuit of a better life.
Perhaps the most upsetting reality of Arthur’s decision to leave Wellpinit is the damage that it caused to he and his best friend Rowdy’s relationship. Rowdy resented Arthur so fiercely that he could not speak to him for months. When Arthur initially told Rowdy about his decision, Rowdy yelled, “You always thought you were better than me” (52). Rowdy assumed that Arthur thought he deserved a better future because he felt superior to him. Rowdy quickly developed a violent but superficial hate for Arthur, and Arthur quickly realized that he and Rowdy had become enemies. He says, “[…] I knew that my best friend had become my worst enemy” (53). Arthur leaving the reservation creates a deeply rooted wedge between he and Rowdy, and little can be done to repair it but time. This conflict manifests itself through the basketball team rivalry between Wellpinit and Reardon. Arthur, during a television interview about the game between the rivals, says, “The thing is, the best player on Wellpinit, Rowdy, he used to be my best friend. And now he hates me. He gave me a concussion that first game. And now I want to destroy him” (185). The conflict between Rowdy and Arthur grows larger with both rival basketball games, and each is humiliated. However, the fourteen-year friendship the two share make it difficult for true hatred to exist between them. For instance, when Arthur delivers a cartoon to Rowdy on Thanksgiving, Rowdy probably would have ripped it up if he truly hated Arthur. However, Rowdy respects Arthur and his art too much to be hateful. Arthur recalls, “But Rowdy still respected my cartoons. And so maybe he still respected me a little bit” (103). Arthur’s leaving severely damages his relationship with Rowdy, but fortunately a mutual respect for one another never ceases, and the two are able to overcome the obstacles in their friendship.
Despite all of the challenges and turmoil Arthur endures with his decision to leave Wellpinit, his nomadic spirit continues to pull him away from the reservation. His leaving is inevitable in the eyes of those surrounding him. Rowdy says at the end of the novel, “I always knew you were going to leave. I always knew you were going to leave us behind and travel the world” (229). As much as it devastates Rowdy, he knows his best friend is destined, and has always been destined, to leave the reservation. In the beginning of the novel, Mr. P. explains to Arthur, “You’ve been fighting since you were born. You fought off drunks and drug addicts. You kept your hope. And now, you have to take your hope and go somewhere where other people have hope” (43). For Mr. P., it has always been evident that Arthur needs to leave the reservation in order to save himself. Arthur may be the only nomadic Indian left, according to Rowdy. Rowdy tells Arthur, “Hardly anybody on this rez is nomadic. Except for you. You’re the nomadic one” (229). Rowdy understands that Arthur is different from other Indians on the reservation; Arthur is nomadic and needs to explore the world beyond the reservation.
Arthur discovers the boundaries of the reservation through the lack of acceptance of his community, the blame he places on himself for leaving his family and tribe, his struggle to identify more with Spokane or Reardon, and the loss of his best friend. However, Arthur and specific members of his community realize that he is a nomad, and is destined to leave the reservation.
Arthur’s community is unsupportive of his choice to leave the reservation. He is viewed as a traitor, and nearly all of his community punishes him for this. On Arthur’s first day of school at Reardon, his father asks him if he has changed his mind and wants to go back to the school on the reservation. Arthur knows that he would be ridiculed even more by his classmates and community members and says, “Can you imagine what would have happened to me if I’d turned around and gone back to the rez school? I would have been pummeled. Mutilated. Crucified” (55). Arthur knows that the people of Spokane would not simply accept him back into the community of Spokane; he is already considered a traitor. On Halloween, Arthur attempts to raise money for the homeless, but is aware of the social situation between him and his fellow tribe members. He explains, “A few folks, especially the grandmothers, thought I was a brace little dude for going to a white school. But there were a lot more people who just called me names and slammed the door in my face” (79). Although some wiser tribe members could realize and appreciate what Arthur was doing, much of the community chose to be angered by Arthur’s decision to leave the reservation. During the basketball game when Reardon played Wellpinit on the reservation, his entire community literally turned their backs on Arthur as a display of contempt. Arthur describes the scene, “And, then, as one, they all turned their backs on me. It was a freaking awesome display of contempt. I was impressed” (144). Of course, Arthur was not pleased that the display was made towards him, but he was impressed that the entire community had banded together to make a statement against something.
Arthur’s community develops stigmas about those who choose to leave the reservation, including Arthur himself. Arthur explains to Gordy, his friend at Reardon, the logic behind his community’s hatred of those who leave the reservation: “[…] some Indians think you have to act white to make your life better. Some Indians think you become white if you try to make your life better, if you become successful” (131). According to Arthur, Spokane Indians believe that anyone who leaves the reservation is attempting to become or act white. Furthermore, any Indian who becomes successful or improves his or her quality of life is actually becoming white. Thus, his community believes that Arthur is attempting to become white because he is trying to make his own life better. Arthur’s community members even develop the derogatory term “apple” for Arthur, and others who leave the reservation “because they think [he] is red on the outside and white on the inside” (132). They think that Arthur is betraying his culture as a Spokane Indian to become white on the inside.
Arthur also deals with feelings of betrayal for leaving his reservation. He knows that his choice to leave the reservation is irreversible. He says, “You can’t just betray your tribe and then change your mind ten minutes later. I was on a one-way bridge. There was no way to turn around, even if I wanted to” (55). Understanding the weight of his decision, Arthur knows that it is something he cannot just undo. His tribe members will always feel that he has betrayed them, even if he decides to return to Spokane permanently.
Although Arthur’s family is proud of him for trying to better his life, he still feels guilt for leaving them and the reservation. No one in the Spirit family has ever left the reservation. His mother even says, “You’ll be the first one to ever leave the rez this way […] The Indians around here are going to be angry with you” (47). His mother understands that challenges Arthur will encounter, particularly with his tribe members, but does not hinder her son in his pursuit of leaving the reservation. Arthur’s family’s history is rooted in the Spokane reservation. He describes the long history: “Ever since the Spokane Indian Reservation was founded back in 1881, nobody in my family had every lived anywhere else. We Spirits stay in one place. We are absolutely tribal” (89). Despite his parents’ support for his decision to leave the reservation, Arthur still blames his leaving for all of the tragedies his family endures throughout the school year. Arthur says, “I had cursed my family. I had left the tribe, and had broken something inside all of us, and now I was being punished” (173). He blames his sister’s death on his decision to attend Reardon.
Additionally, Arthur struggles with choosing an identity after he leaves the reservation for Reardon. He says he “felt like two different people inside of one body” (61). He still wants to be a part of Spokane, but also wants to assimilate, to some extent, to his classmates at Reardon. He cannot deny his cultural and familial roots in Spokane, but wants to advance his life and become something greater than what he surely would be destined to be if he had stayed at Wellpinit. Every morning, he undergoes a transformation in identity as he travels from his home in Spokane to his school in Reardon. He describes the transition, “[…] I woke up on the reservation as an Indian, and somewhere on the road to Reardon, I became something less than Indian. And once I arrived at Reardon, I became something less than less than less than Indian” (83). Arthur realizes that he must compromise his Indian identity in order to succeed. However, he struggles with becoming “less than Indian” in his pursuit of a better life.
Perhaps the most upsetting reality of Arthur’s decision to leave Wellpinit is the damage that it caused to he and his best friend Rowdy’s relationship. Rowdy resented Arthur so fiercely that he could not speak to him for months. When Arthur initially told Rowdy about his decision, Rowdy yelled, “You always thought you were better than me” (52). Rowdy assumed that Arthur thought he deserved a better future because he felt superior to him. Rowdy quickly developed a violent but superficial hate for Arthur, and Arthur quickly realized that he and Rowdy had become enemies. He says, “[…] I knew that my best friend had become my worst enemy” (53). Arthur leaving the reservation creates a deeply rooted wedge between he and Rowdy, and little can be done to repair it but time. This conflict manifests itself through the basketball team rivalry between Wellpinit and Reardon. Arthur, during a television interview about the game between the rivals, says, “The thing is, the best player on Wellpinit, Rowdy, he used to be my best friend. And now he hates me. He gave me a concussion that first game. And now I want to destroy him” (185). The conflict between Rowdy and Arthur grows larger with both rival basketball games, and each is humiliated. However, the fourteen-year friendship the two share make it difficult for true hatred to exist between them. For instance, when Arthur delivers a cartoon to Rowdy on Thanksgiving, Rowdy probably would have ripped it up if he truly hated Arthur. However, Rowdy respects Arthur and his art too much to be hateful. Arthur recalls, “But Rowdy still respected my cartoons. And so maybe he still respected me a little bit” (103). Arthur’s leaving severely damages his relationship with Rowdy, but fortunately a mutual respect for one another never ceases, and the two are able to overcome the obstacles in their friendship.
Despite all of the challenges and turmoil Arthur endures with his decision to leave Wellpinit, his nomadic spirit continues to pull him away from the reservation. His leaving is inevitable in the eyes of those surrounding him. Rowdy says at the end of the novel, “I always knew you were going to leave. I always knew you were going to leave us behind and travel the world” (229). As much as it devastates Rowdy, he knows his best friend is destined, and has always been destined, to leave the reservation. In the beginning of the novel, Mr. P. explains to Arthur, “You’ve been fighting since you were born. You fought off drunks and drug addicts. You kept your hope. And now, you have to take your hope and go somewhere where other people have hope” (43). For Mr. P., it has always been evident that Arthur needs to leave the reservation in order to save himself. Arthur may be the only nomadic Indian left, according to Rowdy. Rowdy tells Arthur, “Hardly anybody on this rez is nomadic. Except for you. You’re the nomadic one” (229). Rowdy understands that Arthur is different from other Indians on the reservation; Arthur is nomadic and needs to explore the world beyond the reservation.
Arthur discovers the boundaries of the reservation through the lack of acceptance of his community, the blame he places on himself for leaving his family and tribe, his struggle to identify more with Spokane or Reardon, and the loss of his best friend. However, Arthur and specific members of his community realize that he is a nomad, and is destined to leave the reservation.