hope against hope

    The reservation or hope was a hard decision to be made, especially for someone who was very aware of the consequences of choosing either-or. Indian reservations had a separate educational system as well as they kept separate from the rest of the society as an attempt to keep their identity and culture, that was at least what they hoped. On the other hand, this gap among reservations and State lead Indians to abandonment. Meaning fewer resources to development and prosperity. that is why Mr. P tried to persuade Junior of leaving the rez in order to find hope. The teacher knew and that if Jr. did not leave he would end up giving up on his dreams and his goals, exactly as his sister and the rest of Indians in the reservation did. As stated in the book, "And you're a bright and shining star, too," he said. "You're the smartest kid in the school. And I don't want you to fail. I don't want you to fade away. You deserve better." Sherman A. (20007) p, 33. However, this was not going to be easy, starting with the racism and the sense of belonging to the "rez" that the boy would experience along the way. Despite all the limitations and obstacles, Junior kept on his way to hope. He went to a white school, where he found very intelligent people and very good friends. Even though his best friend was against that idea, Jr. finally influenced him to change his mind. to sum up, Junior demonstrated that it is not necessary to leave your identity in order to change your life for the better.