What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona Essay - 1174 Words

Sherman J. Alexie, is a short story written in the first person focusing on two Native American Men who grew up together on a Reservation for Native Americans but have been estranged from each other since they were teenagers. Victor who is the narrator of this story is a young man who lost faith in his culture and its traditions, while Thomas our second main character is a deeply rooted traditional storyteller. In the beginning of the story Victor, our Native American narrator learns the death of his father. Jobless and penniless, his only wish is to go to Phoenix, Arizona and bring back his father’s ashes and belongings to the reservation in Spokane. The death of Victor’s father leads him and Thomas to a journey filled with childhood†¦show more content†¦Throughout the story, Thomas was always an optimist. His stories always had a positive ending. He seems to remind us that no matter what happens in life, everything will have a good turn out. The stories are e verything that Thomas has. He relies on them to provide him his identity. Once everyone had turned their backs on him, his stories were the only thing that kept him going. They make him happy and they keep him alive. Thomas is as lonely on the reservation as the jackrabbit was on the desert in Nevada. According to Thomas, the jackrabbit was so lonely that he chose to give his life away under the wheels of their car. Thomas â€Å"build-the-fire† was a storyteller, and as long as he could tell his stories, he would live and the purpose of his life would be fulfilled. The stories always ending well represent Thomas’s unshakable belief in a better future, and him never giving up. Thomas’s kindness was never really reciprocated. Instead, the other Indian boys teased him. When he jumped off the roof and broke his arm as a child, his playmates started laughing at him and sang to him that he had broken his wings.(Sherman, 292) As the author would point out, â€Å"they hated Thomas for his courage.†(Sherman, 292) Once, Victor even beat him up forShow MoreRelatedThis Is What It Means For Say Phoenix, Arizona712 Words   |  3 PagesSherman J. Alexie’s â€Å"This is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona† has multiple interconnecting themes and symbolic ideas throughout his story. Alexie’s story can be simplified as the death of a father changed his son’s life. However, it is more complex than that throughout the story. There are hidden connections all through Alexie’s work. One hidden connection is the character Thomas Builds-the-fire. Thomas is Victor’s childhood friend, and is the reservations goofball, storyteller. Thomas playsRead MoreThis Is What It Means For Say Phoenix, Arizona Essay1691 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"This is What it Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona†: The Road to a New Beginning America, the melting pot country, a country in which every one is equal, unless you are created different. In the short story This is What it Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona by Sherman Alexie, two men embark on a journey that improves their lives spiritually and allows them to claim the closure that they are both seeking. Although the author s main purpose is to share a story about a man s journey to find peace, he isRead MoreThis Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona Essay745 Words   |  3 PagesLorisa Qumawunu June 7, 2013 English 102 Essay #1(revision) â€Å"This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona† In the short story, â€Å"This is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona†, by Sherman Alexie, I looked at two characters: Thomas and Victor. Thomas Builds-the-Fire is a storyteller on a reservation who everyone ignores because they think he is crazy. Victor on the other hand is a guy who would not dare be seen talking to Thomas. Thomas knows that Victor is inRead MoreThis Is What It Means To Say Phoenix, Arizona: Stereotypes Essay1188 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"This Is What It Means To Say Phoenix, Arizona† discusses the physical and mental journey of Victor, a Native American man in the state of Washington, as he goes to Phoenix, Arizona to claim his father’s remains and his savings account. While on this journey, Victor learns about himself, his father, and his Indian culture with the help of his estranged friend, Thomas Builds-the–Fire. The author, Sherman Alexie, plays on the stereotypes of Native Americans through the characters of Victor and ThomasRe ad MoreThis Is What It Means To Say Phoenix, Arizona By Sherman Alexie924 Words   |  4 PagesBethany Furtado Professor Charbonneau Hess English 102 24 October 2017 Thomas Builds-the-Fire In the story, â€Å"This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona† by Sherman Alexie the two main characters are Victor and Thomas Builds-the-Fire. The story is about Victor and Thomas who are childhood best friends that went on a trip from their reservation to Phoenix, Arizona to collect Victor father’s savings account. Throughout the trip, they experience many flashbacks of when they were friends such as whenRead MoreThis Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona by Sherman Alexie1632 Words   |  7 Pagesthe relationship that the family members had. In the end, the family is going to be the one people use as reference for the memoir of the person. Many pieces of literature cover the subject of unsuspecting death. Of those comprises â€Å"What It Means To Say Phoenix, Arizona† by Sherman Alexie. Upon the death of his father, Victor goes through a range of emotions and experiences. Through death he does have some positive experiences that help bring forth his character development. Many would argue that ThomasRead MoreOmniscient Point of View in â€Å"This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona2086 Words   |  9 PagesOmniscient Point of view in â€Å"This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona† The story â€Å"This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona† by Sherman Alexie is a fictional narrative that reflects his experiences during his past and present life. The author allows the audience to become the social media that critiques his life when he evokes important episodes of his life through Victor and Thomas Builds-the-Fire liveliness. In this process, Sherman Alexis uses his omniscient point of view to tellRead MoreAnalysis of This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona by Sherman Alexie1131 Words   |  5 PagesIn Sherman Alexies â€Å"This is what it means to say Phoenix, Arizona† a man named Victor finds out that his father has passed away. Being next of kin, Victor is responsible for gathering his fathers assets together, which requires him to make an out of town trip. In order to accomplish this Victor needs help. This help comes from the town outcast, Thomas Builds-the Fire. Victor and Thomas were childhood best friends but as they grew older, Victor turned his back on the one that always looked outRead MoreAnalysis Of Sherman Alexie s This Is What It Means For Say Phoenix Arizona ``943 Words   |  4 PagesIn the story â€Å"This is What It Means to Say Phoenix Arizona† by Sherman Alexie, the main character Victor is a full blood Native American, whose father recently passed away in Phoenix, Arizona. Victor must take the trip to collect his father s ashes, however due to his current financial situation he is unable to take his journey. An old friend of Victors, by the name of Thomas builds-the-fire, offers to help fund Victors trip on the condition that he go with him. It is because of Thomas that VictorRead MoreLiterary Analysis of Sherman J. Alexie’s This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona779 Words   |  4 PagesAnalysis of â€Å"This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona† In life, everyone experiences a time of hardship, and for the most part, those affected find methods of overcoming the adversity. The idea of getting through hardship is best reflected in; Sherman J. Alexie’s story â€Å"This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona† (274). In the story, victor whose father had recently died from a heart attack has to travel to phoenix Arizona to reclaim his father’s ashes and his truck. Victor is joined