The novel “The Absolutely True Diaryof a Part-Time Indian” written by Sherman Alexie was published in the year 2007. It deals  with the Young Boy Arnold called “JUnior” who lives with his poor Family in an Indian Reservation. In this novel Arnold tells the Reader his Problems in his daily life and how he wants to Change his life.

In the following I want to analyse the unique writing style of Sherman Alexie. Sherman Alexie is an Indian-american writer who was born on the 07 of october 1966 in Wellpinit. He stams from the trunk Spokane and Coeur d´Alene. He writes with a lot of humour about dismal conditions in the reservations and about the purpose in the life of Indians in towns. Sherman Alexie tells about himself: ” I write about the Kind of Indian I am: Kind of mixed up, Kind of odd, not traditionel. I´m a rez kid who´s gone urban.” For the semibiographic youth novel ” The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” Sherman Alexie received the National Book Award for Young People´s Literature and also the swedish Peter Pan Price.

It is obvious that Sherman Alexies writing style is very agile. He writes from a youth Point of view. The Reader get the Feeling during the 29 chapters to be in the story. For that he uses his experiences as an Indian guy. So the reader can feel the feelings of Junior. For that he uses a lot of rhetorical questions (p. 17 ll.11 “Do you know the worst thing about being poor?”, p.20 ll.7 “What kind of job can a Reservation Indian Boy get?”). Rhetorical questions have the effect to influence the Reader to come to a certain conclusion and to integrate the Reader more into the Story. Sherman Alexie uses also a lot of anaphoras. (p.20 ll.15-17″Nothing. Nothing. Nothing”). This stylistic device has the effect that it Highlights something important, it focuses attention on the content of the passages. Besides  he uses a lot comparison/simile to create a vivid mental Image (p.12 ll.24-25 “And I started wearing glasses when I was three, so I ran around the rez looking like a three-year-old Indian grandpa”).  That is a good way to describe the daily problems of Junior. Another very often used stylistc device is an exaggeration (hyperbole), (p. 13 l.1 “My head was so big that Little Indian skull orbited around it”). These strong overstatements have the effect to expresse the author´s opinion, it draws attention to the message and it creates a comic effect. This is perfect for this book style because it underlines perfectly the few cartoons between the chapters.

Another characteristic of this novel are the short sentences(p.15 ll.13-17 “So I draw because I want to talk to the world. And I want the world to pay attention to me. I feel important with a pen in my hand. I feel like I might grow up to be somebody important. An artist”). This mediated the impression of a very easy writing style. Between some long chapters the reader can find some very short chapters and also some funny cartoons. (An example for short chapters: p.56: Go Means Go, p.84 Tears of a Clown).

In conclusion I can say that Sherman Alexies writing style is very unique and it is also very easy to follow it.

 

Source: wikipedia