Challenges: Struggle and Arnold Spirit Jr
Challenges Challenges, struggles are always a part of human life. Challenges are to test of one’s abilities. Struggle what makes people stronger physically and emotionally it’s a difficulty, conflicts that people face to be success. It is not easy to accept challenges and struggle and achieve what you have been challenged for. In a novel called The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie the main character name Arnold Spirit Jr. was born in a poor Indian family and lived in a Indian reservation.
Junior is a boy who wanted to do something different, different then people in his rez have ever done. His life always brings new challenges and struggled a lot. Life always brings challenges and struggles but the most important thing is how you accept challenges and struggle in order to succeed. Arnold spirit Jr. Life is began with a challenge He was born with cerebral spinal fluid and forty two teeth. Doctors said he is not going to survive or just a living object “even if I somehow survived the mini Hoover.
I was supposed to suffer serious brain damage during the procedure and live the rest of his live as a vegetable” (page # 2). Due to his brain damage he had eyesight problem. But he survived he was fine a lived his live normally. He was born in a poor Indian family were they live in Indian reservation. They sometimes have to sleep empty stomach, “My family misses a meal, and sleep is the only thing we have for dinner” (page #8). One of his best friend name Oscar his pet. He lost him because he and his family didn’t have money to cure him.
In spite of being poor and losing his pet Oscar he understood that his family is poor. He controlled his anger he had towards his family and him being poor. He learned and understood that it wasn’t his or his parent’s fault that they are poor. His anger level increased and he got out of control when he saw her mother’s name on his book. He had to study so old book. His teacher realizes and tells him that he is strong and he has hope in his life that he can fulfill it. He doesn’t want to live his life like others. He then decided that his life is not going to be like others in rez he then decided to study in other school to fulfill his dream and goal. One of the most important challenge in his life was when he decided to think beyond what he have thought before, No one in his family or in his rez have ever thought of doing he decided to leave his rez school and join another school where white people studies in Readan. He had to face many problems and struggled a lot in order to go and study and be what he wants to be in life.
His best and his only friend in rez Rowdy was no longer his friend. He was alone as he was the only Indian in that school. He was being bullied being called by different names in his new school as he was Indian. In spite of all his problem struggled he accepted it as a challenge. He fought with roger a student who bullied him all the time he punched him. Students started knowing him he was no longer being bullied or an unknown in school. He gained confident on himself. He started making friends. Even Roger became his friend.
As he was physically weak than others he still joined basketball team were students in his team were big and tuff. It was hard for him to join the team but he did it he proved himself that he can do it. He worked hard one his selection were he had to face roger one on one in order to be selected he lost several time but he didn’t give up. His coach inspired him a lot it was him who made him strong, his advice, “The quality of a man’s life is in direct proportion to his commitment to excellence, regard less of his chosen field of endeavor” (page #148).
He then started playing game so good that he became star of Readan. He lost his loves one people who he inspires and loves. He lost his grandmother his father’s friend Eugene and his sister. Their death made him upset and depressed his but he still managed to control himself and fulfill his biggest challenge. Life is not easy I believe struggle and challenges are parts of live. No matter who you are what you are life always brings challenges and struggles.
Life always brings challenges and struggles but the most important thing is how you accept your challenges and struggle in order to succeed Arnold Sprit Jr. faced challenges and struggles from the day one of his life. In spite of all his problems in his life he managed and survived from all his struggle and challenges. I always knew that no matter what I have to face challenges in life as Arnold did. Many famous people in this world like Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther king and Christopher Columbus accepted challenges in life and succeeded.
