Rationale:
The transparent image of Arnold on the front cover is taken from one of the cartoons from the book. Cartoons play an important role in the novel as graphic representation, but cartoons and drawings also play an important role in Arnold's life. He often discusses how important drawing is to him, "I draw because I want to talk to the world. And I want the world to pay attention to me." We thought that it was appropriate to bring this vital part of Arnold to the front cover. He is split down the middle to represent the two different Arnolds: Native American Arnold and White Arnold. The white Arnold is wearing a watch, a Ralph Lauren shirt, a backpack with a cell phone pocket, khakis, and the latest Air Jordans. The Native American Arnold is wearing thick glasses, a K-Mart T-shirt, Sears blue jeans, canvas tennis shoes, and a Glad garbage bag for a back-pack. For Arnold, white represents hope, positive role models, and a bright future. Indians signify a bone-crushing reality, alcoholism and poverty, and a vanishing past. Although his perspectives on the two different cultures seem black and white, solely positive or negative, there are many moments in the text that Arnold contemplates both positives and negatives of both cultures.
We included the road behind Arnold to portray the passage between his Native American life at the Rez and his white life at Reardon High School. Everyday, Arnold would have to travel 22 miles down the road to get to 'white' Reardon High School; often he would have to walk or hitchhike because his family couldn't afford gas or his dad was too drunk to drive. This road transported Arnold between the two different aspects of himself.
We included the road behind Arnold to portray the passage between his Native American life at the Rez and his white life at Reardon High School. Everyday, Arnold would have to travel 22 miles down the road to get to 'white' Reardon High School; often he would have to walk or hitchhike because his family couldn't afford gas or his dad was too drunk to drive. This road transported Arnold between the two different aspects of himself.
