The book “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” by Sherman Alexie tells a story of a boy named Arnold (nicknamed Junior) with a disability that made him an easy target for his peers. However, there was one person who was not being aggressive towards Arnold due to his physical condition – his friend Rowdy. While their friendship can be perceived as a toxic one, Junior and Rowdy’s relationship was highly valuable for them. As it can be seen from Junior’s encounter with the Andruss brothers, Rowdy was Junior’s protector. Despite his aggression towards anyone, even including Junior, Rowdy simply used it as a defense mechanism against the cruel reality he lived in. Moreover, the two boys trusted one another very deeply, to the point where Rowdy would only listen to Junior’s advice and the only person to who Junior would tell his secrets. Rowdy’s reaction to Junior’s transfer is not unexpected, as it is within his character to replace negative emotions with aggression.
The close ties between Rowdy and Junior stem from their long history of growing up together in harsh conditions. While Junior was bullied and humiliated oftentimes due to his medical condition, Rowdy experienced humiliation from his drunkard father. Junior was born with what is called “water on the brain,” although the proper medical term for this condition is hydrocephalus. Junior had a multitude of medical issues that include an abnormal amount of teeth, forty-two to be exact, brain damage, and oftentimes he suffered from seizures. While Rowdy had no visible physical defects, he had a different kind of damage – the emotional one. This shared experience led to the unlikely friendship that is described in the novel.
It is worth noting how Junior perceives Rowdy. According to Junior, Rowdy is s more significant to him than even his parents, stating that they had spent “40,880 hours in each other’s company”. Although Rowdy is portrayed as a trouble-making kid, Junior lets the reader see his best friend’s softer side, stating that “he’s a big, goofy dreamer” who likes nerd things like comics. The two friends played on the same sports teams together, which included basketball, football, and baseball. When Rowdy found out that Junior is transferring to Reardan High School, he was unable to conceal his real emotions and started to cry before getting angry and attacking Junior on several occasions. As it has been stated before, Rowdy’s anger issues do not equate to his feelings of hatred, he was simply unable to understand why his best friend of so many years had agreed to be separated from him. Although Junior had told Rowdy that he should join him in transferring to Reardan High, Rowdy declined, and Junior was forced to move on his own.
As can be expected, Rowdy and Junior’s friendship was put under a difficult test in the coming months. The reader can see that there was apparent jealousy, animosity, and regret on Rowdys behalf. Junior became an aspiring basketball player and made it into the Reardan High School boys basketball squad. However, Junior’s success in sport set up a stage for a real test of his friendship with Rowdy. In his first game against his former school, Wellpinit Highschool, Junior was playing against Rowdy, who did not hesitate to knock Junior out with his elbow. This would seem reasonably cruel, especially since Rowdy knew well of his best friend’s medical conditions, but the jealousy and lack of understanding as to why Junior transferred to Reardan were too much for Rowdy to handle maturely. In the coming months, the two were on and off again, as both boys would go through their fair share of transgressions.
A series of tragic events that deeply harm both boys Rowdy’s sister, unfortunately, passes away, and Junior tries to comfort him to no avail. It is not until the following summer that Junior and Rowdy begin to hash things out during a game of basketball. Rowdy, since then, had come to acceptance with the situation, even compared Junior to a “nomad” because he feels that Junior will continue moving around to different places.
In conclusion, the reader can clearly see that, although Junior and Rowdy’s relationship had its ups and downs, it was a crucial factor in the maturation process for both characters. In the end, it turned out to be a positive relationship that helped them to go through their early life without losing hope and to get ready for the outside world. Despite the fact that Rowdy sometimes did hurt Junior, he was Junior’s best friend who was there when times got hard. Their relationship played a crucial role in their lives and changed them for the better.