This Is What It Means For Say Phoenix, Arizona - 712 Words

Sherman 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 plays a much larger role in Victor’s life than just a childhood friend. Thomas Builds-The-Fire is Victor’s spirit guide, and knew Victor’s life will change as along he visits Phoenix, Arizona to acquire is father’s ashes. Thomas’s prophetic stories began in childhood. When Victor and Thomas were children, Thomas told a story about Victor’s father. The story expressed how Victor’s father felt toward his own family. He said, â€Å"Your father’s heart is weak. He is afraid of is own family. He is afraid of you. Late at night, he sits in the dark. Watches television until there is nothing but white noise. Sometimes he feels like he wants to buy a motorcycle and ride away. He wants to run and hide. He doesn’t want to be found† (Alexie 181). The story Thomas told was highly important because it was true. Thomas knew that Victor’s father would leave the reservation before anyone else. Furthermore, every story that came out of his mouth, he always closed his eyes. As if he is connected to somethingShow MoreRelatedThis Is What It Means For Say Phoenix, Arizona Essay1691 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"This is What it Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona†: The Road t o 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 Pages Benjamin Franklin once said that â€Å"Nothing is certain in life except death...and taxes† (Waliwensky). This phrase has rung in the ears of Americans for many, many years. The phrase has stuck around for an extensive amount of time is because of the irony and actuality behind it. While the expression is meant to focus on the inevitability of taxes, Franklin also makes a point that it is impossible to deny the fact that everyone will eventually die. People get caught up in their day to day lives andRead 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 joinedRead MoreNative Americans Analytical Essay1200 Words   |  5 Pagesminorities who have gone through horrid times and still struggle to preserve their traditions. Their submission to the mainstream Anglo-Americans has led to a lot of issues. These are presented in Blue Winds Dancing by Tom White Cloud, This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona by Sherman J. Alexie, and Black Elk Speaks by Black Elk for comparison. Of all the different narratives, pieces, and poems read about native Americans. These three drew particular atte ntion. The similarities between them share the