Gordy has become become a very important part of Junior’s life just in a few days. Gordy has taught Junior a lot and he is a friend figure which is important to Junior because it means he isn't alone anymore. “I was lonely and sad and isolated and terrified. Just like Gordy.” (94) In this passage, Alexie adds and in-between to make it feel like everything is piling up. This passage shows how Gordy and Junior are very similar. They are both smart and technically loners. That is why they will make such good friends because they both can relate to each other. They can help each other with a lot. Gordy can help Junior with studying and Junior can help Gordy with becoming less nerdly.
“, but Gordy believed in me. He wouldn’t let me give up.” (94) In this passage, Alexie shows how Gordy has impacted Junior life because before, Junior had no one to give him full confidence. Rowdy would give him confidence but only enough to make them equally confident. This passage shows how much Junior respects Gordy. He respects him because Junior has never been respected besides Rowdy. He has no one else in his life that he could say that about and Junior likes the idea of having someone who does. Now that he lost Rowdy, Junior needs another person to keep him happy. Junior isn’t replacing Rowdy because with Rowdy, Junior could talk about anything. Whether it was his crushes or something he’s mad or sad about, Rowdy was always there. Gordy and Junior aren’t that close yet to discuss anything like that.
Do you agree/disagree with this post? Why/Why not? Do you think Junior is replacing Rowdy? Do you think Rowdy will come back for Junior? How does Alexie describe Gordy and Junior’s friendship?
I agree with Molly in that Gordy and Junior can help each other. Gordy can help Junior with studying, and Junior can help Gordy with not being a loner and being less nerdy. I do not think that Junior is replacing Rowdy with Gordy. I think that there is a special bond with Rowdy and Junior. This bond id too big for someone else to intrude and replace Rowdy. Nobody can replace Rowdy. He is one of a kind and is special for Junior. When Junior talks about Rowdy, he talks in a way that only shows up when Rowdy is mentioned. As Molly said, Gordy and Junior aren't close as Rowdy and Junior. Rowdy defended him, respected him, kept his secrets, and expressed his emotional feeling to Junior. Gordy and Junior don't do that, yet, but they may never will.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Alex about how Gordy isn't going to replace Rowdy. If Rowdy was replaced it would be the same as having a fight with your parents and then replacing them. Rowdy is to important to be replaced. However, I think that Gordy and Junior will still be friends. Gordy will help Junior catch up with work and be a friend. I don't think that Rowdy will come back for Junior for a long time. As long as Junior goes to Reardan instead of Wellpinit Rowdy will not be friends with Junior.
ReplyDeleteI think that Gordy will have to replace Rowdy, no matter how strong the bond was between Rowdy and Junior. Rowdy has basically disowned him, saying that Junior is a traitor to everyone on the rez. In the passage "I realized how much of my self worth, my sense of safety, was based on Rowdy's fists." (68), Junior begins to see that on the rez, without Rowdy, he wouldn't survive. At Reardan however, he has already learned that there is no danger of him being beaten up. This makes him feel more free, and makes the need for a friend like Rowdy disappear. Gordy on the other hand, is much more like Junior. Like Molly said, they are both smart and are both outcasts. I think that Gordy and Junior have a lot more in common than they think, and that they will be able to form a bond that is just as strong as the bond between Junior and Rowdy.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree that Junior has found Gordy as a friend figure because of their similarities. In this white community, Junior was a total outsider. He talked differently, walked differently, wore different clothes, was poorer, was smarter, and looked different. He was completely alienated in this society, and found it really hard to fit in with the other whites. But, Gordy was also, in some sense, alienated from the white community. He was smarter, nerdier, and had his own ideas about things. When Gordy and Junior met each other, they realized that they both shared a similar trait: they were both isolated from the rest of the school. Once they realized what similar situations they were in, they naturally became friends and found ways they could help each other fit in more. But, like Molly said, I don't think Gordy is a replacement for Rowdy or will ever be. Rowdy was an outlet for Junior to let out all his thoughts and emotions that he wouldn't dare to share with anyone else, as well as support and protection out in the real world. Gordy, on the other hand, would never be able to provide these things for Junior. Instead, Gordy was a helping hand for Junior to aid him during his experiences at Reardan. Junior was facing many problems at Reardan, including isolation and loneliness. He would then be able to overcome this problem with Gordy at his side, because they could provide support for each other until they can find a way to fit into this new, "hopeful" society at Reardan.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the original post, and everyone that has commented so far. I agree that Gordy is basically Rowdy; except one is super smart and one is super violent. All three of these characters are outsiders, and that makes them connect. I think that Rowdy is irreplaceable, like Molly first said. Sure, Gordy will become a very good friend of Juniors, but Rowdy is the one that he and Junior shared secrets with. Gordy is the one person that backed up Rowdy against Mr. Dodge. Gordy and Rowdy both have a similar trait. Gordy is accepted to be the smartest and most intellectually advanced, which was shown when Mr. Dodge believed Gordy. Rowdy is accepted to be the strongest and most violent, which was shown in multiple cases of violence. In both characters, they have one powerful ability that protects Junior. However, I can also side with Ranch, saying that Gordy will have to eventually replace Rowdy. Sure, Rowdy was the one they shared secrets with, but that connection will not revive itself soon. Rowdy's anger toward Junior when he told him he was going to Reardan was very prominent. I believe that Gordy, over time, will become the new Rowdy. This relationship will guide Junior through Reardan. Gordy helps him study, read, and creates a person to talk to, a friend.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Julian that Gordy and Junior have a lot in common. At Rearden both Junior and Gordy are outsiders. Though Junior is more of an outsider than Gordy because Junior is Indian, looks funny, talks funny and is smarter than most others (except for Gordy), Gordy is still the closest to Junior in many ways. Like the fact that they are both considered losers in their communities based on everything about them. This makes them too similar to not be friends, so after getting to know each other, they did. Yet, they are not close enough for Gordy to replace Rowdy. Rowdy and Junior had known each other for over fourteen years and Junior and Gordy have just met. Also Rowdy and Gordy were of different uses to Junior. Rowdy was a guardian to Junior and helped him when he got bullied. He would also connect with him with comic books and talk to him about his feelings, but their relationship was not perfect because Rowdy was not as smart as Junior was. Gordy, on the other hand, is a new friend that is even smarter than Junior so they can connect intellectually and Gordy can teach Junior things. The down side to their relationship is that Gordy does not care for and is too new of a friend to talk about their feelings. This is hard for Junior because he is a very emotional person, but at least Gordy can help Junior cope with his loneliness.
ReplyDeleteWhy do you think Junior was so awkward about asking Gordy to be friends with him?
ReplyDeleteI agree with everyone saying that Rowdy is irreplaceable. Rowdy and Junior have the special connection that only true friends can feel. They laughed together, they shared secrets together, and they even fought together. Rowdy protected Junior from bullies, and Junior was helping Rowdy get through school. Also, Junior provided the only other thing that could make Rowdy happy, cartoons. Gordy can't replace Rowdy, but he is the only other friend Junior has. If Gordy isn't a good replacement for Rowdy, then he at least is good enough to be his second best friend. Rowdy will eventually come around and realize that he needs Junior to get through his life. Without Junior, Rowdy will not have any joy in the world.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the facts that Rowdy is irreplaceable and that Arnold and Gordy have a lot in common. I think that Gordy and Arnold have potential for a big friendship, but at the moment it is somewhat tense. The “metaphorical boner” and Gordy’s different style of talking helps, but something else needs to happen to lighten the mood. I think that Gordy is a stepping stone for Arnold in finding his identity again, something he lost when he switched schools. I felt the friendship was forced when Arnold told Gordy that they were going to be friends, but it turned out better than that. What do you think of Gordy? Is he a new Rowdy or just a temporary friend? Why?
ReplyDeleteI think that Rowdy is irreplaceable, but Gordy is the closest Junior is gonna get. I think that Rowdy will eventually realize that everyone on the Rez including his parents hate him. Then he will go back to Junior, but it will take him a while because Junior got rid of 14 years of friendship in one day. Gordy is a good friend for Junior because they share the same interests unlike Rowdy and Junior. Gordy will never be as close as Rowdy because both rowdy and junior know what it is like to live on the Rez. Gordy might think that Junior is weird because of some of the regular things that happen on the Rez don't happen in this white community.
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