Junior has poor self-esteem through the obstacles and comes to overcome them. Three ways that change through the novel and transforms Junior is basketball, mentors, and Penelope.
Joining the basketball team at Reardan really helped Junior with his self-esteem. Junior didn’t realize he would make the team but the coach realized his shooting skills were better because he remembers him at the reservation school and coach told junior “And I was going to be his secret weapon. I was going to be his weapon of mass destruction” (Alexie 142). Basketball also helped him because when they went to play reservation, junior was scared to cover Rowdy but coach said “You can do it” (Alexie 189). Junior thought it was amazing to hear that from an adult. Finally …show more content…
In the novel he finds three role models who help him find hope and fulfill his dreams. The first person was Mr. P who tells Junior if you want to find hope, you have to leave the reservation. Mr. P tells him that everyone lost hope at reservation and if Junior didn’t leave he would lose hope too. "You fought off the brain surgery. You fought off those seizures. You fought off all the drunks and drug addicts. You kept your hope. And now, you have to take your hope, and go somewhere where other people have hope" (Alexie 43). Couch motivates and encourages Junior a lot during games and off court and their relationship is really strong. Coach tells Junior that “I was the best shooter who’d ever played for him" (Alexie 142). During basketball tryouts the first drill, one hundred laps. At the fiftieth lap thirty-seven people quitted but Junior wasn’t one of them. After that Coach is fascinated and impressed by Junior when he starts to guard Roger, he wanted to give up because he was smaller than him but Coach encourages him to go at it again. Grandmother’s who’s another great mentor for Junior because when he was having a problem at school, he had to tell someone about his problem and half of the time his parents were either drunk or not home so he was closer to his grandmother. Grandmother is tolerant, open minded and fair. She tells him “Yes way! You see, you men and boys are like packs of wild dogs. This boy is the alpha
Joining the basketball team at Reardan really helped Junior with his self-esteem. Junior didn’t realize he would make the team but the coach realized his shooting skills were better because he remembers him at the reservation school and coach told junior “And I was going to be his secret weapon. I was going to be his weapon of mass destruction” (Alexie 142). Basketball also helped him because when they went to play reservation, junior was scared to cover Rowdy but coach said “You can do it” (Alexie 189). Junior thought it was amazing to hear that from an adult. Finally …show more content…
In the novel he finds three role models who help him find hope and fulfill his dreams. The first person was Mr. P who tells Junior if you want to find hope, you have to leave the reservation. Mr. P tells him that everyone lost hope at reservation and if Junior didn’t leave he would lose hope too. "You fought off the brain surgery. You fought off those seizures. You fought off all the drunks and drug addicts. You kept your hope. And now, you have to take your hope, and go somewhere where other people have hope" (Alexie 43). Couch motivates and encourages Junior a lot during games and off court and their relationship is really strong. Coach tells Junior that “I was the best shooter who’d ever played for him" (Alexie 142). During basketball tryouts the first drill, one hundred laps. At the fiftieth lap thirty-seven people quitted but Junior wasn’t one of them. After that Coach is fascinated and impressed by Junior when he starts to guard Roger, he wanted to give up because he was smaller than him but Coach encourages him to go at it again. Grandmother’s who’s another great mentor for Junior because when he was having a problem at school, he had to tell someone about his problem and half of the time his parents were either drunk or not home so he was closer to his grandmother. Grandmother is tolerant, open minded and fair. She tells him “Yes way! You see, you men and boys are like packs of wild dogs. This boy is the alpha