When Mr. P, Junior's geometry teacher, tells him that the further he (Junior) gets from the reservation, the more hope he will encounter, Junior can't wait to get some real answers from his own parents.
He asks them the question, 'Who has the most hope?'
Junior asks this question because he wants know how he can have the hope that his teacher is referring to; this is the hope for better economic opportunities and a...
When Mr. P, Junior's geometry teacher, tells him that the further he (Junior) gets from the reservation, the more hope he will encounter, Junior can't wait to get some real answers from his own parents.
He asks them the question, 'Who has the most hope?'
Junior asks this question because he wants know how he can have the hope that his teacher is referring to; this is the hope for better economic opportunities and a better life, far out of the reach of most of the people on Junior's reservation. Of course, the first step towards finding this hope is to find out who possesses the most hope and how he, Junior, can have the same type of hope. If you recall, Mr. P tells Junior that most of Junior's people have already given up striving and hoping for a better future. He doesn't want Junior sharing the same fate, hence his advice to Junior to leave.
Junior's parents answer as he thinks they will. Both emphatically state that white people have the most hope. When he hears this, Junior immediately informs his parents that he wants to transfer from his present school. His parents think that he wants to move to one of the other two schools on the reservation. However, Junior rejects their suppositions. Both of these schools have poor Indian students and even poorer white students. Junior knows that these students will never find hope for a better life if they continue in their present state.
He tells his parents that he wants to be transferred to the school in Reardan, a 'rich, white farm town...' Reardan has one of the best schools in the state, and Junior knows that the school comes equipped with a computer room, a drama club, a huge chemistry lab, and two basketball gyms. He also thinks that the kids at Reardan are the 'smartest and most athletic kids anywhere.'
So, Junior wants to know who possesses the most hope so that he can travel to where he can acquire this hope. This hope represents opportunities for a better life, the kind of life he sees white people living. Although Junior's mother warns that he will encounter anger and suspicion from their Indian neighbors, Junior is determined to fulfill his dreams.
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