This research is conducted to explain the contribution of Sherman Alexie in constructing Native American identity as portrayed in the novel The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, which is represented by the main character Junior in the middle of his way to strength his identity, after blending with the dominant people off the reservation. The objective of the research is to figure out the identity of Native American which is portrayed by Sherman Alexie in the novel The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.
This research is a descriptive qualitative research. The data source of the research is a semi-autobiographical novel entitled The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian created by Sherman Alexie, which is published in 2007. The main data of the research are sentence, phrase, paragraphs in the dialogues, narrations, and illustration in the novel The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. Also, the supporting data is acquired from books, journal articles, and internet websites which contain the issue of Native American identity.
The research is under the umbrella of American Studies, which is an interdisciplinary field consisting of many theories and approaches. This research applies literary theory to understand the novel as the documentation of the condition happening in the society, and autobiography approach to comprehend this semi-autobiographical novel.
After conducting the analysis, the research finds out that the identity of Native American represented by the main character Junior is shaped by the warmness and togetherness of the tribal family and tribal community as seen through the sociocultural condition. The stereotypes found in the novel The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, for instance casino Indian and drunken Indian, also influence the construction of Native people’s identity. Those emerge in the society by seeing their social life. Nevertheless, the research figures out that the solid relationship between an individual and his tribal family and tribal community has high possibility to build and strength the tribal identity.
Keywords: Native American, Assimilation, Identity, Novel