Throughout the last few chapters of Alexie's book, many significant events occur which move the plot of the story along and contribute to the prominent themes of the book. To start, Junior's basketball team at Reardan has yet another match against Wellpinit where Coach places Junior to guard Rowdy. Starting the game out Junior plots revenge, still angry about the prior concussion he received from Rowdy and possessing a fire for the need to prove himself. But after actually winning the game against his reservation's team, he has a change of heart realizing that Indian team members needed this win more than he did, as losing is likely going to result in a Rowdy's beating from his father. Due to his change of perspective of the meaning of this game, Junior begins to feel guilty and ashamed of himself as all the feelings come flooding in. In the next chapter, he apologizes to Rowdy and they have a conversational exchange which makes Junior feel better about the situation despite not being in the best place of their friendship. One event which plays a large role in the theme of alcoholism present throughout the story, is the death of Junior's sister Mary. Junior is so overwhelmed by the whole situation that he becomes hysterical. Later on in the chapter, Junior has a conversation with Rowdy in which Rowdy blames Junior for Mary's death claiming that her leaving the reservation was Junior's fault. The next chapter includes a grieving period for Junior in which he cries for everything bad that has ever happened to him and his tribe, as he comes to conclusion that regardless of all of the terrible things he is going to be okay because he has aspiring dreams and because he is going to learn from everything that has happened to him. At the end of the story, Junior and Rowdy play a basketball game together and Rowdy tells Junior that he is happy for him and tells him about a dream in which Junior was standing on the Great Wall of China.
Overall, the last few chapters of The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian really capture the complexity of the story. The basketball game between Readrdan and Wellpinit seems to parallel the internal conflict within Junior regarding his life on the reservation and his education with the Whites of Wellpinit. Though he begins the game thinking only about himself, his perspective changes when he actually wins which is something I can relate to in that I often remind myself that I need to step back and take a look at the bigger picture when I'm mad about petty things. Although it is not the most important theme of the story, one which did stand out to me is Rowdy and Junior's friendship which changes frequently throughout the story. In the end, Rowdy and Junior's bond stays strong and it helps you see that they are able to see past the differences they have in terms of leaving the reservation because they know that their friendship is so much more than that and they can still support each other. Another idea which stood out to me is although Junior did move to Wellpinit, he never truly assimilated to their culture. He saw how different lifestyles and cultures were and although he did try to lie many times, he also stood up for his beliefs and to his own morals in not running back to the reservation to please others. In the end, I wholeheartedly can say this that this has to be my favorite book that I have had to read for school and maybe even one of my favorite books in general. Although Junior and I are completely different people, it is still so easy to find his character and his issues relatable because despite going through the struggles of the Indian community, he is just an awkward teenager going through life. I feel like this is one of those books where you can read it over and over again and always find something new to latch onto or some fresh perspective that changes how you view it. As I said in the beginning, Alexie's book pulled me in with its sarcastic nature and comedy and now finishing the book I can say that it was compelling from start to finish.
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