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Mr. P is a white geometry teacher at Wellpinit, Junior’s old high school on the reservation, and Junior characterizes him as a “lonely old man who used to be a lonely young man.” Mr. P is an important catalyst within the narrative because he sets the rest of the novel’s plot in motion by encouraging Junior to go to Reardan.
During Junior’s first high school geometry class, Mr. P gives Junior his textbook. Junior sees that his mom, Agnes Adams, signed the front page of the book more than thirty years previously when she was a student at the same school. Junior is enraged that he is being taught with course materials that are over thirty years old, and, before he realizes what he is doing, he throws the book as hard as he can into Mr. P’s face. Unsurprisingly, Junior is suspended. One day, during Junior’s suspension, Mr. P surprises Junior by showing up at his house. He surprises Junior a second time by apologizing to him for being one of the many forces that have historically oppressed the Spokane people. He explains that, as a young teacher, he beat many Native American students because he was trained to “kill the Indian to save the child.” He proceeds to say that he “can't apologize to everybody [he] hurt,” but that he can apologize to Junior. He then surprises Junior for a third time by telling him to get off the reservation and go to Reardan High School because he “deserve[s] better.” He explains to Junior that every person on the reservation has “given up”—except, that is, for Junior, something he was able to glean from the rage with which Junior threw the textbook. Mr. P’s speech is a pivotal moment for Junior; it is the first time that someone sees Junior’s full potential, and it inspires Junior to make the decision to attend Reardan, a decision that alters the course of his life.
