Quote 1
"So, anyway," he said. "I was reading this book about old-time Indians, about how we used to be nomadic."
"Yeah," I said.
"So I looked up nomadic in the dictionary, and it means people who move around, who keep moving, in search of food and water and grazing land."
"That sounds about right."
"Well, the thing is, I don't think Indians are nomadic anymore. Most Indians, anyway."
"No, we're not," I said.
"I'm not nomadic," Rowdy said. "Hardly anybody on this rez is nomadic. Except for you. You're the nomadic one."
"Whatever."
"No, I'm serious. I always knew you were going to leave. I always knew you were going to leave us behind and travel the world. I had this dream about you a few months ago. You were standing on the Great Wall of China. You looked happy. And I was happy for you." (30.176-30.184)
Though Arnold has accepted himself, it's still important to him that Rowdy does too. And here, he does! Rowdy is able to come to terms with Arnold's decision to leave the reservation – and Arnold's new identity – by thinking of Arnold as a "nomad." In this sense, Rowdy still sees Arnold as an Indian (after all, the "old-time Indians" were nomads), even though he is no longer on the reservation. Why do you think Rowdy's approval is so important to Arnold?
Quote 2
"It's all your fault," he said.
"What's my fault?" I asked.
"Your sister is dead because you left us. You killed her."
That made me stop laughing. I suddenly felt like I might never laugh again.
Rowdy was right.
I had killed my sister.
Well, I didn't kill her.
But she only got married so quickly and left the rez because I had left the rez first. She was only living in Montana in a cheap trailer house because I had gone to school in Reardan. She had burned to death because I had decided that I wanted to spend my life with white people. (27.191-27.198)
Rowdy blames Arnold for Mary's death, and Arnold follows suit. Still, would it have been better if Mary had never left home at all? Is living in a basement better than no life at all? Also, did Mary really leave the reservation in the same way that Arnold did? Did she also decide to spend her life with white people?
Quote 3
"So, anyway," he said. "I was reading this book about old-time Indians, about how we used to be nomadic."
"Yeah," I said.
"So I looked up nomadic in the dictionary, and it means people who move around, who keep moving, in search of food and water and grazing land."
"That sounds about right."
"Well, the thing is, I don't think Indians are nomadic anymore. Most Indians, anyway."
"No, we're not," I said.
"I'm not nomadic," Rowdy said. "Hardly anybody on this rez is nomadic. Except for you. You're the nomadic one."
"Whatever."
"No, I'm serious. I always knew you were going to leave. I always knew you were going to leave us behind and travel the world. I had this dream about you a few months ago. You were standing on the Great Wall of China. You looked happy. And I was happy for you." (30.176-30.184)
Believe it or not, Rowdy is the one to offer us some insight about Arnold's relationship to his home. As a "nomad," Arnold is not bound to one geographical location. Much like the old timey Indians, he moves from place to place, in search of what he needs to survive: food, water, basketball, books, etc. Arnold belongs to many different tribes, so all places are potentially his home. It is not the physical setting that makes Arnold who he is, it is what he does.