The book Indian in the Cupboard is a story about an Indian boy who gets a plastic red Indian as a gift. When Omri puts the red Indian in the cupboard and closes the door with the key his mother gives the red Indian action figure made of plastic comes to life.
When Little Bull the red indian is injured, Omri figures out that he can bring plastic figures to life and bring Tommy paramedic fighting in a war to help heal Little Bull’s injury. This book is all about collaboration and cooperation, where different people from different cultures are put together in fantastical situations where they must work together to overcome obstacles set in their path.
I enjoyed reading this book very much and learned a bit about Native Americans such as Red Indians and the various customs associated with different Native American tribes.
Additionally, when a plastic cowboy is brought to life, the story gets even more interesting. I found this book entertaining and that it delivered a powerful message. This book reminded me a lot about Narnia, especially the fact that there was a magic cupboard involved in this story. The difference was that for the magic to be activated you needed a key.
Here are some interesting ideas that I identified in this book that struck a chord with me. There were many interesting ideas presented in this book that made it a memorable read.
Humans Stay Human
No matter how much the culture might change, basic human needs, requirements and behavior stays the same. This is reflected by the different characters seen in this book. From the Red Indian Little Bull to the cowboy Boone, there is a lot that stays the same across cultures. This is demonstrated well by the different plastic figures that have been brought to life from the Red Indian Little Bull to the Cowboy Boone, who came from rival communities and therefore didn’t get along initially. Red Indian Little Bull and Cowboy Boone are thrown together and their differences cause them not to accept each other. The book revolves mainly around the conflicts between Little Bull and Boone.
The next important fact that I noticed is that we need to set differences aside to figure out something together. It might not be the most convenient thing, but running someone down and insulting someone just because they were born some way is just downright unjust.
Differences are Best Set Aside
No matter how much the culture might change, basic human needs, requirements and behavior stays the same. This is reflected by the different characters seen in this book. From the Red Indian Little Bull to the cowboy Boone, there is a lot that stays the same across cultures. This is demonstrated well by the different plastic figures that have been brought to life from the Red Indian Little Bull to the Cowboy Boone, who came from rival communities and therefore didn’t get along initially. Red Indian Little Bull and Cowboy Boone are thrown together and their differences cause them not to accept each other. The book revolves mainly around the conflicts between Little Bull and Boone.
People Project Their Insecurities on to Others
This story portrayed how well people project their insecurities onto others through the characters of Little Bull and Patrick. Little Bull is a Red Indian and Boone is a cowboy and Boone blames Little Bull for being unclean when he is clearly the one who is unclean as demonstrated by how Little Bull washes himself more than Boone does. Often people judge and find fault with a certain person. Often they themselves have worse weaknesses or are insecure about what the other party has.
We Have a Lot to Learn
Wherever we might be in life, we have a lot to learn from other people. But this doesn’t mean that we run ourselves down. This often leads to other people taking advantage of you, as demonstrated clearly by how Little Bull the red Indian bosses Omri about just because he is kind. Omri realises this and points it out. While we may not personally agree with everything someone says, that doesn’t mean we have allowed them to walk all over us, use us and abuse us. That’s just as unjust and unfair. I love how Omri takes charge and handles the situation well with Little Bull, as respectfully as possible.
Some Interesting Quotes
Some interesting quotes from The Indian in the Cupboard that stuck in my mind and stayed with my mind are:
“Go and paint. It’ll make you feel better. I won’t be long.”
There are many reasons to invest in art. Art can heal even the deepest scars. When Little Bull is hurt by falling off a horse. Omri encourages Little Bull to work on painting the Tepee. The Tepee is something that is unique to the Red Indian culture as portrayed by this book.
“You No Great Spirit! Only Stupid Boy.”
As Omri is human he makes his fair share of mistakes. Initially Little Bull mistakes Omri for a great spirit. But when Omri fights he calls him out for being stupid. I think that we all need to call out people when they are being unfair according to our point of view.
“It’s Made Him Even More Bossy and Useless.”
As Omri is human he makes his fair share of mistakes. Initially Little Bull mistakes Omri for a great spirit. But when Omri fights he calls him out for being stupid. I think that we all need to call out people when they are being unfair according to our point of view.
“Patrick Knew When Omri was Lying He Also Knew When He Wasn’t.”
As Omri is human he makes his fair share of mistakes. Initially Little Bull mistakes Omri for a great spirit. But when Omri fights he calls him out for being stupid. I think that we all need to call out people when they are being unfair according to our point of view.
“I’m a Dream You’re Having In Your Head.”
When Omri realises that it is difficult to explain the whole situation involved in bringing a plastic cowboy to life, the only feasible way Omri finds that he can explain things to the plastic cowboy that comes to life is to tell him that it is a dream. This shows Omri’s compassion and more so deep empathy.