What does Gordy teach Junior about being a serious reader?

Gordy teaches Junior that serious reading means paying attention to words and questioning quick judgments about a story. After a classroom confrontation over science, Gordy, a classmate who becomes his study partner, teaches Junior to read carefully. He can articulate a demanding rule: “If you don’t treat each word that seriously then you’re not treating the novel seriously” (Alexie 95). This says that a reader should investigate words instead of skipping over their meanings. It shows that understanding takes active work; finishing the plot is only a beginning. His rationale, a reason for taking each word seriously, is that language helps build the book’s meaning. However, the lesson also reaches beyond vocabulary. Thinking about Mary’s interests, Junior says, “Maybe romance novels were absolutely serious business” (Alexie 95). This says that he begins to reconsider a kind of story he had not fully respected. It shows how careful reading can contradict an easy judgment about another person’s interests. He does not have to like every book Mary likes to take her reading seriously. Because a story can matter deeply to someone else, a thoughtful reader asks what it offers before dismissing it. Gordy’s lesson gives Junior a method for reading words and a reason to respect readers.