What It Means To Say Phoenix Arizona Essay

21. How does Victor look to others, feel about himself, and behave toward his family when he arrives

This grudge was formed mainly from the fact that his father left his family all together. At the start of the story, readers are immediately informed of Victor’s father having the heart attack that killed him and also that they hadn’t seen each other much over the years, “…he also found out that his father had died of a heart attack in Phoenix, Arizona. Victor hadn't seen his father in a few years, only talked to him on the telephone once or twice…” (Alexie). A relationship like this would bother any child but especially a child of Native American descent. In an average Native American family, the father plays a huge role and teaches the son to be a warrior, so to speak. Obviously in Victor’s case, this was not available to him since his father left. However, when Victor comes to good terms with Thomas he is also coming to good terms with his father. This can be inferred because towards the end of the story, it states “…I didn’t imagine my father looking anything like a salmon. I thought it’d be like cleaning the attic or something. Like letting things go after they’ve stopped having any use.” (Alexie) With this quote from Victor, he is saying that he is literally letting his father go which ultimately was the main conflict going

He is very optimistic and loves to talk and tell stories. As these two individuals set out on the journey to Arizona to retrieve Thomas’s dad’s ashes after they learn that he has passed, they also begin to discover themselves in the a new and “foreign” world. While on this journey,Victor’s

The short story, ‘Harrison Bergeron’, greatly represents the stages of the hero’s journey. Although some of the stages are less obvious, three points hugely stand out; departure, trials, and status quo. First of all, Harrison’s departure is a very integral part of this short story. In the beginning of the anecdote, Harrison’s “departure” is described, and throughout the writing, George periodically remembers the horrid event. “And it was in that clammy month that the H-G men took George and Hazel Bergeron's fourteen-year-old son, Harrison, away.” (page 1). When Harrison was forcibly taken away from his parents, he leaves his normal world and his comfort zone. The second most obvious stage would be trials. Harrison Bergeron successfully faces

Victor struggles to identify himself as a Native American. We see him describe what an Indian is supposed to be like and it is loosely connected with his ancestry. Unlike the protagonist of the poem he is unable to connect with the land and his ancestors. The protagonist mentions that the memory of her people has

In Sherman Alexie’s short story, “This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona”, Victor, a poor Indian man, finds out that his father is dead but Victor doesn't have the money to bring him home. After claiming one hundred dollars from the Tribal Council, Thomas, the outcast on the reservation, offers to give Victor money to retrieve his father's ashes, but Victor has to take Thomas with him. Victor agrees to take Thomas with him. They fly to Phoenix, get the ashes and money from the father’s savings account, and drive home in Victor's father's pickup truck. During the trip to and from Phoenix Victor and Thomas remembered the memories of their friendship and Victor’s father.

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

In the novel Reservation Blues, most of the characters struggle with their identity at some point. Victor has an especially strong urge to rebel against his Native American heritage, which is apparent in his violent, arrogant demeanor and his obvious problem with alcohol. Victor is tied to his past and has trouble coping with his life as it is, and is in a constant battle with himself, his surroundings, and other people.

In the short story “This Is What It Means To Say Phoenix, Arizona,” the author, Sherman Alexie, uses evidence throughout the text to support the theme that the power of relationships, even those that are seen as insignificant, can help guide individuals through tough times in life, and put one’s past in perspective. When Victor, the protagonist, discovers that his estranged father has suffered a heart attack and has died, he deeply wants to travel to Phoenix, Arizona, where his father passed away, to gather his father’s belongings. However, he does not have enough money to travel to Arizona, so he turns to his once-friend Thomas Builds-the-Fire. Thomas has been looking out for Victor since the two boys were very young. For example, during the story, Victor thinks back to a time when he and

Victor having a devastating experience by losing his father in this case, he now collects what his father left behind. In addition he had also lost his job at the Bureau of Indian Affairs (Alexie 319) and Thomas who is the tribal story teller that nobody wanted to listen to (Alexie 320). Victor and Thomas weren’t friends in childhood because as a child Victor always think people around him would embarrass him, “Victor closed his eyes in embarrassment"(Alexie 322). In addition, Victor and Thomas had a fight, “When they were fifteen and had long since stopped being friends, Victor and Thomas got into a fight” (Alexie 322). Which makes perfectly good sense they never established a good childhood relationship.

Money is a prime negative example that comes up in the short story. For instance, when Victor loses his job and finds out his father is dead in Phoenix, Arizona. Victor notifies the city council for money to retrieve his father, but only to find out about financial problems that the council is having. The very little money he does receive from the council isn’t even enough for a plane ticket. In contrast to the negative aspect, a positive aspect of money in a Native American culture is that they are able to get funds at all. In addition to Thomas, a negative affect he experienced from his culture was being the outsider of his own village. This is negative because he is clearly avoided and mistreated by everyone in the village, even by Victor. In other words, Thomas is not the ideal image of what a Native American should be and act like, he is more of an embarrassment. “Nobody talked to Thomas anymore because he told the same damn stories over and over again” (Line 19-20), this quote shows and example of how his own people thought about

Later Thomas makes another joke about “having a lot in common with the Indians” referring to how the government screwed them over, just like they did to the women in her Olympic games. Victor was surprised that a “crazy Indian storyteller with ratty old braids and broken teeth” was talking to a woman like her. This scene shows how physical, social, and personal links shape someone’s conception of identity, in this case it was Thomas’s. Thomas was also an orphan when was born. His father died in WWII “fighting for a country which had tried to kill him for years”, and his mother giving birth to him.

Reconciliation is a process that many may try to avoid in order to forget about a past uncomfortable situation, but these people tend to forget that it can also affect others around them. In the novel “Truth and Bright Water”, Thomas King illustrates how two characters, Helen and Cassie, begin to travel the route of finding each other’s relationship back after a large conflict occurs. In the novel, King develops the idea that when healing and reconciling with uncertainties of the past an individual needs to make amends with a current issue. The first steps towards reconciliation are initially a long and hard process that can lead to changes in one's character. Steps of positive healing can be seen through the character, Helen, who is the narrator's

Plato’s philosophical writing, “Allegory of the Cave,” discusses the plight of trapped individuals that cease to see light in an otherwise dark environment. Sherman Alexie’s “This Is What It Means To Say Phoenix, Arizona” details a struggling young man coping with the loss of his distant father. With the loss of his father, Victor finds himself trapped and begins spiraling down a dark path. Plato’s writing provides a philosophical abstract to relate Victor’s enlightening.

Throughout the story Victor replays moments in his mind. Times when he and Thomas were best of friends. Times when he loved listening to Thomas' visions about life and stories with hidden lessons. Times when Thomas was there for him and even a time when Thomas helped to save his life. The good memories turn to visions of Victor turning his back on his best friend. Victor is faced with the reality of his cruel actions and choices. Of how he chose to go with the rest of the 'pack' and attack the 'weak' one. Victor recalls being drunk when he was fifteen and beating up Thomas for the fun of it. How all of the other boys on the reservation just stood and watched and how he may have continued beating Thomas