Blog Post #4: RR

Eugene’s family faces a lot of issues based on a lot of reasons. The fact that they’re Jews in the time period of the story factors in. So does the level of money that they take in. Eugene hates himself for both of those reasons. This shouldn’t happen because even though he’s an immigrant and his family isn’t very wealthy, Eugene still fits in with other American lifestyles (baseball, women, etc.).

            Eugene always states indirectly how he hates his religion. For example, he hates his full name, Eugene Morris Jerome. He wishes he could be a “Joe, Frankie, or a Tony.” He also hates how he can’t say specific words (if he says a disease he gets smitten with it). This is unnecessary suffrage. Eugene should have some freedoms I mean his family is very poor; he’s living with his abusive aunt, his brother dropped out of high school, his cousin potentially will, and he is forced to do unethical things for a child. 

            Eugene also makes it clear that he wishes he had more money. For example, he pleaded with his brother to ask his rich boss for Yankee tickets (which Eugene dreams about all day and night). He also clamors for baseballs and mitts and a place to throw and a bat and everything. Money gets in the way of this dream of his. Money shouldn’t drive your life. In fact, Eugene is so poor that his mother can hardly feed his family. She owes the deli on their block a lot of money.

            Even though Eugene and his family are different, he still fits in with American society. He sort of reminds me of me. The religion is the same, which goes along with our names. We share some common interests and dreams, and we’re both about the same age. Heck, we even live in the same country, state, city, and borough. I go through his neighborhood, Brighton Beach, very often!

RR social issues

In the book The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie, the main character, Arnold, is without power in his all white school, Reardon. The kids push him around; call him racist names (because he’s an Indian), and the only place in which he feels that he has any say is on the basketball court. The Indians on his hometown reserve taunt him and call him a traitor regularly. He’s at the bottom of everyone’s food chain, cast off by everyone.

            In school, it appears that Arnold is without a say and is ignored, or when he does get noticed he’s abused. However, the white kids are not. Once, when his teacher called on him, Arnold said something correct that the teacher said was wrong. Then, when the teacher called on Gordy (a stereotypical nerdy white boy), he told the teacher that Arnold was actually correct. Also, on the very first day of school, before anyone even knew him, a jock came up to him and said, “Indians are living proof that ni***rs f***ed buffalo.” This shows that that school is a very racist community. Arnold is “different”, so everyone hates him.

            Arnold is also powerless on the basketball court. When he returned to his Native American home-court gym as a visitor, the taunts were awful. It was so bad that someone threw a quarter at him that him right in the eye (Arnold had to go to a hospital). The next game, he best friend, Rowdy, who was on the other team, refused to even shake hands with Arnold. This shows a level of disrespect even beyond racism. His own race of people call him a traitor, and his white schoolmates insult him for his race. In my mind, he’s trapped in a circle of hate.

            Arnold is friendless, community-less, and school-less. Race plays a big part. I think that this shows how can leave one person. Arnold had some power, or say, when he was on his Indian reservation. At his new school, he has none (not even respect).