Quotation: “Then I realized something. I realized that my team, the Reardan Indians, was Goliath” (195)
After leaving the reservation, Junior begins to forget the advantages his new classmates and his school has compared to the schools at the reservation. When playing against his old school's team junior forgot his team had the upper hand over them. His classmates could go to college and pursue their dream while the others wouldn't. Junior losing wouldn't wound him as badly as it did the other team. Rowdy and the other Indians weren't just playing to win, but for pride and respect. It wasn't until Junior was cheering his win did he notice winning didn't make him the good guy. He had betrayed fellow Indians by kicking them when they were down.
Quotation: “I draw cartoons to make him happy, to give him other…show more content… Junior uses drawings to “create” theses dreams on paper for Rowdy. On the reservation, most people live in poverty and never get to leave. This includes Rowdy, who has an abusive father. Both Rowdy and Junior use drawings to spice up and enrich their boring lives. All Junior really wants is to make his best friend happy.
Quotation: “I was crying tears of shame. I was crying because I broke my best friend's heart.” (196)
Rowdy was one of Junior first and the only friend on the reservation. Junior cared deeply for their friendship and even wanted to rekindle their friendship after leaving the reservation. Junior even goes as far as to say “I think Rowdy might be the most important person in my life.”(24) Junior played for his new school's basketball team and later plays against Rowdy’s team. They went against each other and gave it their all. It was only after winning did Junior realize how defeated Rowdy must have felt. Junior cried because he betrayed the one person he cared for the most.
