Literary Analysis of Sherman J. Alexie’s This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona

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Analysis of “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 “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 by his former childhood friend “Thomas Builds-the-fire”, who finances the trip to phoenix since Victor did not have the means. They drove back truck from phoenix to the reservation. Throughout the trip, Thomas is always telling stories mostly reminiscing about their childhood. It is through Thomas stories that we learn much about Victor’s father. Through the use of symbolism, and character development, Alexie conveys the idea that, when someone is experiencing an adversity, reconnecting and embracing the past may lead to a discovery of a brighter future.

Occasionally, when someone is going through a difficult time, they possibly will feel that the universe is not in their favor, and a sense of hopelessness may set in. Victor was having a hard time financially. Before receiving the news of his father’s death, he had lost his job with the “Bureau of Indian Affairs” (274). With nowhere else to turn for help, victor contacted the tribal council for assistance. The tribal council itself was “having a difficult time financially”, and could only assist him with a hundred dollars which was not nearly enough to fund his trip to phoenix (275). With only a hundred dollars, victor’s circumstances were becoming more complex to manage. Victor’s probl...

... middle of paper ...

... they grew, they also grew apart. To spare himself from getting too much grief from his friends, Victor abandoned his friendship with Thomas who was different from other kids.

Through connecting with his former best friend, Victor was able travel to Phoenix to reclaim his father’s ashes and belongings. During the trip we see Thomas and Victor reminisce about their former days as friends, and although at the end they both agreed that they could not be friends, they gained a deeper understanding of each other. Even though Victor could not say it, deep down, he knew that his best friend was in fact Thomas.

Works cited

Alexie, Sherman. "This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona" The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven. New York: The Atlantic Monthly Press, 1993. Print.

Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 19 Mar. 2014.

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