#2. What is “absolutely the saddest thing in the world” (31)? Explain why Junior says this and the implication. (Tia A)
Junior doesn’t feel as if he is being given the opportunity to receive a good education. Junior is excited about his first year of highschool and can't wait to start the year, but he is quickly disappointed. What upsets Junior is that his geometry book is the same one that his mom used when she was in school. He says “That is absolutely the saddest thing in the world” (Alexie 31). He was hoping to get a good education because he wants to get off of the reservation one day. This old book is a symbol of the poverty and inequality that takes place on the reservation vs. the outside world, and Junior knows it. This is why he feels that the whole world is against him, “What do you do when the world has declared nuclear war on you?” (Alexie 31). How can he get off the reservation when everything around him is holding him back? It would be a very difficult thing for him to do, and this is why most people never leave. The vicious cycle of poverty and lack of education continues. This is why he feels that he is not getting the same education as people off the reservation.
I agree with you but I also think that Junior feels that his future is set in stone, as the past of his family doesn't show him becoming someone famous or important one day. Junior has trouble putting himself up against the odds and trying to get past his old family roots.
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