1. Consider the adjectives "absolutely true" and "part-time.

" What concepts appear to be

emphasized by the images and the title? Does the cover make a reference to Junior's internal
struggle, or a struggle between Junior and the white power structure, or both, or neither?
2. By drawing cartoons, Junior feels safe. He draws "because I want to talk to the world. And I
want the world to pay attention to me." How do Junior's cartoons (for example, "Who my parents
would have been if somebody had paid attention to their dreams" and "white, white, white,
white, white, white, white, white" and "white/Indian") show his understanding of the ways that
racism has deeply impacted his and his family's lives?
3. When Junior is in Reardan (the little white town) he is "half Indian," and when he is in
Wellpinit
(his home reservation) he is "half white." "It was like being Indian was my job," he says, "but it
was only a part-time job. And it didn't pay well at all." At Reardan High, why does Junior pretend
to have more money than he does, even though he knows that "lies have short shelf lives"?

1. The title of the novel uses the terms absolutely true to represent a concept of reality. A
reality that is often overlooked by many, since we are not having a first-hand experience
of how situations truly go about in the daily lives of those who are inferiors. In the case of
the main character, his first-hand experiences were brought out in the open through his
illustrations. He was able to truly impart his daily struggles to those who may have failed
to witness the specific struggles that he is facing everyday, especially since he is
experiencing inferiority among all others. It is also necessary to emphasize how these
experiences are tagged as absolute since it is an account of someone who has had felt
a great effect of discrimination of his condition. The title symbolically made use of the
term part-time Indian, since there is an apparent manifestation from society that whites
are more favored than those who are dark-skinned or those who are from other races. It
was clear how society draws the line between those who have physical attributes that
are more favorable, and gives less consideration to those who have physically unfavored
characteristics. The cover illustrates societys preferences. It was obviously shown the
conflict between the hierarchical condition that exists within the society. Those who are
at the bottom are in constant struggle to gain a chance to be heard and listened to.
However, those who may have physically-favored attributes are at the top. This is an
obvious truth that were given less attention of those who are highly-favored.
2. Juniors expression through art is his way of letting his voice out. He is obviously lacking
in terms of speaking out his mind, since he stutters and is in constant battle with his
condition. However, through his comics, he was able to illustrate how he feels. In this
manner, he finds a medium of self-expression. Once an idea is expressed, the person
feels safe in possessing an outlet for his emotions. As a human being, self-expression is
a need that is imperative for the purposes of coping. Junior feels the need to express
himself since he is someone who is bullied, misunderstood, and was never given a
chance to experience some of the most pleasurable moments in his life. Through his
illustrations, he was able to somehow express his abilities that were often overlooked by
his environment. Juniors understanding about racism has been reflected in his cartoons.
He was able to see that his parents were deprived of opportunities, just because their
skin color is not preferred by society. There were many chances that they have lost, and
 it seems that they were basically deprived of their rights as a human being. The pursuant
of the dreams of Juniors parents were obviously hindered by racism. Racism might be
the major cause why they are suffering, and why they are deprived of their life. Racism
locked them inside the cells of discrimination. It seems like they are free, but not
absolutely free.
3. Junior pretended to have more money than he does, so that he will be able to obtain
approval from people within his environment. It is obvious that people will create
prejudice for those who are poor or marginalized. Lies have short shelf lives, because a
lie can only cover the truth into a limited degree. A lie can easily expire once the truth
comes out. The truth is metaphorically identified with a smoke. A smoke will always find
its way out, and where there is smoke, there is fire. So the source of those lies is a
vulnerable concept that can make or break a situation. Junior has to pretend most of the
time, because he needs approval. When there is an approval from the society that he is
living in, he gains better treatment. Better treatment to individuals represent human
dignity - that can be obtained if a person is respected, well-treated, and is never
deprived. That is why he considers parts of his identity as only part-time, since he cannot
fully acknowledge his full identity. This is due to the fact that there is so much
discrimination; and when he is discriminated, he would most likely experience painful
situations that can nevertheless degrade his morale. People will always seek for
gratification and value. Peoples value will depreciate once there is a presence of
inferiority.