Around Thanksgiving, Arnold is pulled out of his loneliness at the all-white Reardon High School to discover that he is smart. Not just smart for an Indian, as he says, but smart, period.
In geology class, his teacher Mr. Dodge is discussing petrified wood and says that it's "pretty amazing that wood could turn into rock" (pg 84). When Arnold raises his hand and explains that the actual wood in petrified wood is dissolved and...
Around Thanksgiving, Arnold is pulled out of his loneliness at the all-white Reardon High School to discover that he is smart. Not just smart for an Indian, as he says, but smart, period.
In geology class, his teacher Mr. Dodge is discussing petrified wood and says that it's "pretty amazing that wood could turn into rock" (pg 84). When Arnold raises his hand and explains that the actual wood in petrified wood is dissolved and replaces by minerals that keep the wood's shape, Mr. Dodge mocks him, saying "Where did you learn that fact? On the reservation? Yes, we all know there's so much amazing science on the reservation" (pg 85). It isn't until class genius Gordy backs up what Arnold says that Mr. Dodge acknowledges that it might be true.
Aside from his book learning, though, Arnold is also socially smart. He understands relationships and how and why people are loyal to one another. Most of all, he understands his parents and respects them for their sacrifices, even when they don't live up to the ideal parents a kid might want. When there is no money to help his dog Oscar, for example, Arnold's dad takes a rifle to shoot him, putting him out of his misery. Even though Arnold is furious and wants to hate his parents, he knows he can't, because they "came from poor people who came from poor people, all the way back to the very first poor people" (pg 11). Arnold has a deep understanding of his poverty and can avoid the trap of blaming his family for problems that stem from beyond them.
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