Monday, May 18, 2015

#5 Quotes to Note (67-98) “My sister’s spirit hadn’t been killed” (91). Grace V

Arnold's sister marries and moves away from the ranch to escape the hopeless and dreary life she may have lived. Arnold is speaking to the reader in this quote, and he is reflecting on the news of his sisters moving away and marrying without notice. This quote is significant because it shows that Arnold is not the only one on the reservation to make a change with their life for the better. “She was trying to live out her dream...She hadn’t given up” (Alexie 91). Mary has the dream of writing romance novels and Arnold has the dream of writing comic books, and both siblings must leave the rez in order to achieve these dreams. For Arnold, going to Reardon is a step towards becoming independent from the reservation, and Mary has fully separated herself from the doom of remaining at the rez entirely. Neither Arnold nor Mary have given up on their dreams, and neither of them have succumbed to becoming drunks like the rest of the Native Americans on the rez. Mary and Arnold will become the source of new opportunity and a fresh start, hope and inspiration for their generation and the generations to follow.
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3 comments:

  1. AnonymousMay 18, 2015 at 7:14 PM

    I totally agree that the two siblings are creating a fresh start. I think that Mary leaving the rez shows that she still has hope. I wonder if Mr. P also had an effect on Mary? Arnold thought that Mary had lost all hope when she moved into the basement, but in the end she moves away from the rez in an effort to stay hopeful.

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  2. AnonymousMay 19, 2015 at 4:39 AM

    I agree that both kids have taken it upon themselves to escape the reservation. Here Arnold is talking about Mary getting married, "If I was brave enough to go to Rearden, then she'd be brave enough to MARRY A FLATHEAD INDIAN AND MOVE TO MONTANA."(Alexie 89). I feel that Arnold transferring to Rearden paved the way for Mary. It showed Mary what she had to do to follow her dream. I'm not sure if I agree that Arnold's dream is to write comic books. He loves making them but is that really what he is dying to pursue?

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  3. AnonymousMay 19, 2015 at 9:36 AM

    I agree. However I think that Mary is leaving the rez to escape, although in a very mysterious way. Arnold is going to Reardan to find hope, not just to escape the rez. I think that Arnold will become a source of hope and inspiration more than Mary will.

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