Though our narrator Arnold Spirit is only fourteen years of age, he is confronted with the death of his loved ones over and over and over again. For Arnold, death is pretty much relentless, and comes knocking at his family's door time after time. With bodies piling up left and right in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Arnold finds that death is a very hard thing to cope with to cope with – especially when it is senseless. That is, the death Arnold is confronted with is primarily the result of poverty or alcoholism.
Despite all of this, Arnold must learn to carry on. Arnold does this by focusing on life and the joy that it brings. (Note for example the lists he makes in Chapter 24).
Though we may face death in our lives, we must find the joy in our life – and carry on. We cannot give up or give in.
Death may be a part of life, but senseless and preventable deaths – such as those caused by poverty or alcoholism – are the greatest tragedy. They cause needless pain and suffering.