1. In this time of grief, why do you think Junior laughs so much? What are the specific moments he laughs the hardest?

Junior laughs so much during this time of grief because it is the only way that he can get away from all of the sorrow and loss he is feeling. The times where he laughs the hardest are also the times where he feels the most loss. When his sister dies, just the simple fact that his dad didn't die while coming to pick up Junior seems like the best thing in the world to Junior, and he laughs because he realizes how pathetic that sounds. The other time he laughs is after Rowdy tries to punch him because Rowdy believes that Junior caused his sister's death. This should be one of the most hurtful parts in the novel, where even in this time of immense grief for Junior, Rowdy still has the nerve to go after Junior. Instead of breaking down because of the complete betrayal of his best friend, he just laughs when Rowdy misses his punch. In short, Junior believes that if he laughs hard enough, all the sorrow will go away and everything will become funny again.

Like Junior says at the very beginning of the novel, cartoons are his lifeboats. His laughter is serving as his lifeboat in this time of crisis for him, allowing him to escape. Just like cartoons, laughter is ubiquitous, no matter where someone is or what language they speak. Junior is not just hoping that his laughter will make him feel better, he hopes that it will make everyone better. He thinks that he is responsible for all of these deaths, and in a way is trying to make up for it by bringing everyone else's spirits up with his laughter.

One thing that Alexie may be trying to do is cement the fundamental difference between Rowdy and Junior. When Rowdy has a problem, he is likely to turn and fight it, where as when Junior has a problem he tends to laugh it off. While these survival strategies both are effective on the rez, it is essentially this difference that drives Rowdy and Junior apart. Rowdy stays and fights the problems he faces, while Junior instead makes fun of himself, so it doesn't hurt him as much when others do the same.

Do you think Junior has had to deal with loss in this way before? Do you think he is responsible for his sister's death? What do you think is the biggest difference between Rowdy and Junior? Explain.

Interpret/explain/explore the context and significance of the last line of the book (230).

   The last line of the book “We didn’t even keep score”(230) may be the most important line of the whole book. Alexie says this because at the end Junior learns that friendship is the most important thing in his life. Rowdy and Junior did not need to keep score because they were just playing to have fun. They weren’t playing to find out who was better and playing as hard as they could. They just wanted to become friends again because they need each other. Everyday Junior would think of Rowdy and wished they were still friends again. Although we don’t know for certain, Rowdy probably thought about Junior just as much.

  In the middle of the chapter Junior was shocked when Rowdy comes to him to hangout. That was as close to an apology as Rowdy was going to give to Junior because of how tough he is. Junior thought ”For a second, I thought about saying no. I thought about telling him to bite my ass. I thought about making him apologize. But I couldn’t. He was never going to change.” Junior knew that Rowdy was trying to open up to him and this was as far as he would go so Junior had to take it. This was Junior’s last chance at becoming friends with Rowdy again. Maybe getting back to his old life, his less complicated life, the life he started out with. So Junior had to say yes so he could be happy anywhere he went. He could not survive on the rez without Rowdy. Rowdy was the one who protected him from other bullies and he was his best friend that he could tell anything to. Junior needs someone like that. He is too emotional to keep it to himself so he had to get back together with Rowdy. Now that they have become best friends  again they don’t need to fight or be mad at each other. That is why they did not keep score. They were too busy having fun to care about any of their problems.

In this time of grief, why do you think Junior laughs so much? What are the specific moments he laughs the hardest?

In the chapter "Because Russian Guys Are Not Always Geniuses," Junior laughed the hardest and the most hysterically. Junior was laughing in this time of grief because he was trying to distract himself from all the pain of his sister's death. He was distracting himself by also worrying about his dad during the snowstorm. Junior was trying to hide himself from his true emotions. He was feeling sad and angry. Juniors said, “ My dad was trying to comfort me. But it’s not too comforting to learn that your sister was TOO FREAKING DRUNK to feel any pain when she BURNED TO DEATH” (205)! Sherman Alexie puts part of this sentence in capital letters to put an emphasis on the amount of anger Junior was feeling about his sister. Junior felt Mary was going to be successful and continue to be a role model for Junior. But when Mary dies because she was too drunk Junior was frustrated at her for being so “Indian.” At the same time Junior was sad because he lost Eugene, his grandmother and Mary these were the people who were role model and gave hope.

Junior began to laugh when he saw Rowdy in the woods. Junior was laughing because Rowdy missed a punch when he was crying. And Rowdy the toughest guy on the rez NEVER cried or missed a punch. Rowdy said “ Your sister is dead because you left us. You killed her” (211). Once Junior found out the reason Rowdy was crying, Junior immediately stopped laughing. Junior stopped laughing because he realized Rowdy still thinks he was a traitor and it was his fault. Junior instantly felt sorry because he believed it was his fault too. Junior realized  he left the rez so his his sister left the rez. When Junior can’t seem to find the answer to something he instantly seems to blame himself.  

Was Junior anger at his sister justified? Why or why not? Did Junior really kill his sister? Will Rowdy eventually go to Reardan? Do you think Junior will go to college? Did this book have a happy ending?

What does Junior realize about his own identity, his life and Rowdy?

          Throughout everything that happened to him, towards the end of the book, Junior realizes that life goes on. Of course, sometimes terrible things happen to people, but life must go on. Junior has this epiphany during a flashback with Rowdy. "Near the top, the branches got thinner and thinner...I kept expecting one of them to snap and send me plummeting to my death..." (225). "But it didn't happen. The branches would not break" (226).

          The branches are like a metaphor for the hardships in life Junior has experienced. All the deaths that he has had to deal with. Every death and unfortunate thing is another branch up the tree. But Junior knows that he has to keep climbing in order to reach the top.

          This flashback helps Junior realize many things. It helps him realize that life is a beautiful gift. And to not take it for granted. Junior can also tell that he's hard working, and will continue to pursue his dreams. The facts that Junior has this flashback with Rowdy in it, hints that everything is going to be ok in the end. Rowdy has been Junior's best friend since what feels like forever, and it's very important that Rowdy was a part of Junior's realization about his future life. It is now clear that even though Rowdy and Junior had their major fight for a while, Rowdy is proud of Junior. Junior knows they'll always be there for each other, even if they're not in the same location. "I would always love Rowdy. And I would always miss him, too" (230). Sure enough, in the end, they both realize that life goes on, and so must they.

What do you think about the ending? Is this a happy ending? What else do you think Junior has realized?

What does Rowdy say to Junior? Why does he say this? Do you think there is truth in this?

         In the chapter "Talking about Turtles", Rowdy came up to Arnold and the two of them practiced and played basket ball. Rowdy said "You're the nomadic one...I always knew you were going to leave us behind and travel the world...you looked happy. And I was happy for you" (229). There is a sense of forgiveness in what Rowdy just said. Even though the rest of the rez still believes that Arnold is a traitor, Rowdy forgave him. In front of the rest of the rez Rowdy showed Arnold hatred but when Arnold emailed Rowdy, Rowdy replied instead of ignoring Arnold's existence. Rowdy knew that the rez is a hopeless place, and once and still being Arnold's best friend, he knew Arnold will hold on to his hope and leave the rez to pursue his dreams. There is truth in what Rowdy said to Arnold at the basketball court because Arnold was the first person to have the courage to leave the rez. Arnold knew people were going to hate him even more than they already did, but he didn't care. His actions inspired his sister Mary, and Mary left the rez after Arnold did in order to escape this cage-like rez. Rowdy never thinks before he acts, therefore when Arnold first told Rowdy that he will leave, Rowdy punched him in the nose because he wasn't ready for the leaving part to happen so fast. Afterwards, he regrets doing this because he already knew that one day Arnold will leave him, he just didn't know Arnold would go to Reardan. Rowdy wouldn't have reacted the same way he did if Arnold went to anywhere else but Reardan. Like Mr. P said, Arnold is a warrior, he is born to fight, to bring hope back to the rez, and the Whites have the most hope.

       "I had a dream about you a few months ago. You were standing on the Great Wall of China. You looked happy. And I was happy for you" (229). An assumption was made that before Rowdy came to find Arnold to play basketball, the two were worse enemies. Yet, Rowdy having a dream about Arnold a few months ago means that at that time Rowdy still misses and cares about Arnold, while hating him at the same time for being a "White-lover" (53). But also "I was happy for you" indicates that Arnold is Rowdy's only friend-for-life, and no matter what kind of situation they are in, nothing can separate them.

     Do you think Rowdy forgave Arnold? If so, at what point do you think Rowdy had forgiven Arnold? Why do you think Rowdy forgave him? Are they still best friends or just normal friends? Would Arnold have said the same thing if it was Rowdy who went to Reardan?

         

Summarize the outcome of the game. Why does Junior cry at the end? What does he realize?

During the basketball game, Junior and Rowdy go head to head, playing defense and offense, and having to guard each other throughout the entire game. Junior was proud of himself right after the game because he beat his “enemies” by forty points and because he was able to stay with Rowdy and only let him get four points.  When his team held him on their shoulders after the game, he saw the look on Wellpinits faces.  He then looked up to his dad only to see the sad look on his face.  “I thought he’d be cheering.  But he wasn’t.  He wasn’t even looking at me.  He was all quiet-faced as he looked at something else.  So I looked at what he was looking at.  It was the Wellpinit Redskins, lined up at their end of the court, as they watched us celebrate our victory.” (195)  This passage shows how Junior was excited about winning the biggest game of the season, but also how he is surprised that his dad isn’t cheering for him.  Instead, he has a sad face on while looking at Wellpinit.  In this moment, Junior starts to experience guilt.  He felt ashamed because he realized that he had a great life and a basketball game between two small-schools shouldn’t determine how the rest of his life is lived.  

At the end of the night, Junior is crying in the bathroom.  His teammates thought he was crying tears of joy when really they were tears of shame.  He was ashamed that he was too into the game to realize that he actually wanted to hurt his best friend.  “I was crying because I had broken my best friend’s heart.” (196)  This passage shows how Junior could never replace Rowdy even with his new white friends.  The bond they hold is too strong to break even with a fight like this.  Junior still considers Rowdy his best friend but does Rowdy still consider Junior his best friend?

Do you think Rowdy will forgive Junior? Why or why not?  How will Juniors social ranking change after this game?  Do you have any predictions on what will happen to Junior in the future? (i.e. college, jobs)

Summarize the outcome of the game. Why does Junior cry at the end? What does he realize?

During the game, Junior starts off strong by beating Rowdy at the first shot.  This streak continues, and “[They] beat Wellpinit by forty points.  Absolutely destroyed them.” (194)  The previous game between Reardan and Wellpinit ended in the exact opposite way, with Wellpinit “absolutely destroying” Reardan.  At the end of the most recent game, Junior makes a startling realization of how the win affected the Wellpinit team.  “It was the Wellpinit Redskins, lined up at their end of the court, as they watched us celebrate our victory… I knew that one or two of those Indians might not have eaten breakfast that morning.  No food in the house… I knew that none of them was going to college.  Not one of them… I was suddenly ashamed that I’d wanted so badly to take revenge on them.” (195-196)  Junior was ashamed before that the Wellpinit team had beat them that first game, and wanted to get revenge on them to show that he wasn’t useless, and that he truly found success without the tribe.  However, back then he didn’t realize that winning that game was the only hope the Wellpinit team had.  From there, their hope grew, when they became number one in the state.  This signified that the Wellpinit team was actually getting somewhere, and for them, they felt like this could add to their futures, previously filled with nothing.  With this most recent game, however, the hope was taken away as soon as it came.  Reardan took their spot as best in state, and that symbolized the white people taking the Indian’s culture away from them, breaking them down, like Mr. P had told Junior before.  Junior sees this, and is extremely ashamed about it, because if his tribe had seen him a traitor before, this event confirmed his identity as a traitor.  He used to deal with this situation with his tribe, but now he’s the one bringing the pain down on them.  In the quote mentioned before on page 194, Alexie uses the words “absolutely destroyed” to describe Reardan’s win.  This shows that while Reardan “destroyed” Wellpinit in the game, they also destroyed any hope they had before.  In the text, the line “absolutely destroyed them” is placed on a different line, adding emphasis to how bad it was.

Junior is also now truly seeing from the point of view of the Reardan students.  It takes him a moment to remember that the Indians kids are struggling in life, and simply to get by.  At first, he didn’t think how much something like being the best in the state in basketball would mean to the Wellpinit kids, and only cared about being seen as strong and worthy to them.  It didn’t quite dawn on him that his situation was similar to theirs.  Now that he’s on a different wavelength, he has some chance of future, which makes him a bit more selfish.  This chance of a future and success is something he shares with the white kids, and this makes him think in their mindset.  It’s like he’s looking in on the Indians from the outside, finding it hard to relate to them though he faces the same struggles they do.  This may show that maybe hope truly is white, and that’s what Junior’s turning into.

Do you think Junior will eventually “lose” all of his Indian heritage, in a way?  Will the Indians regain their hope again?  Will Junior help them to do this?  Will hope ever last for the Indians?  Has this action secured the name of traitor onto Junior, or does he still have a chance?  What could he do to regain the Indians’ trust?