The Reservation

In The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Junior and his family and the rest of the Native Americans living on the reservation have had many limitations in their lives. These limitations were in part due to poverty, and other social issues within the reservation. It was hard for many people within the reservation to get out of poverty,let alone achieve their dreams, as the mentality they grew up with restricted their belief in what they could and could not do. The reservation is not the only place where people do not have the same opportunities than others. Many neighborhoods within Chicago are poor and due to that poverty, it creates an environment in which people feel hopeless and turn to other methods for surviving, which are not always safe or legal. People who grow up in these communities do not believe that they have the same opportunities than others and some of the time, they do not. Much like the people living in the reservation, they are at a disadvantage. However, it does not mean that it is impossible to better your situation. Arnold is living proof. If one can seize the right moment and opportunity when it comes along, one can also better their lives.