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How does victor change "this is what it means to say phoenix, arizona"
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In “This Is What It Means To Say Phoenix, Arizona”, Victor finds out that his father has died in Phoenix, Arizona, he then sets out for Phoenix in order to claim his father’s bank account. Victor is an indiain who lives on a reservation, who feels as though his family has no use for him, and after learning that his dad has died, he decides to go to where his dad died to claim his bank account. Although Victor went down to Phoenix for personal gain, he’s an ambitious man, as he never gave up on looking for a way to Phoenix. Most people will give up if their original plan fails or if it doesn’t go the way they planned. Not Victor though, after recieving a one hundred dollar check form the tribe council and seeking help, he finds what he needs.
While at the trading post, Victor runs into his former friend Thomas Builds-the-fire, Thomas offers to help Victor go to Phoenix if he takes him with him. After Victor contemplates Thomas’ offer he eventually accepts after reminesing about a portion of his childhood with Builds-the-fire. This illustrates that Victor is ambitious, because he didn’t give up on going to Phoenix. A few times in the story, Thomas ends up embrassing Victor, but despite the humliation Thomas unknowingly inflicted on Victor, he stayed by Thomas’ side regardless of how embrassed he felt. It takes some ambition to put up with some humliation in order to achieve your goals, and that in fact shows that Victor is indeed ambitious. Both examples go to show that Victor is undoubtibly ambitious, otherwise he’d have left Thomas’ side. In “This Is What It Means To Say Phoenix, Arizona” we see that we should always keep attempting to achieve pour goals, despite whatever we’re facing. No matter how bad your situation is, remember to never give up, ever.
Sherman Alexie, author of “This is what it means to say Phoenix, Arizona” has shared her fruitful ideas about the true meaning of friendship. Victor, the core person of the story faced many issues. He is a young individual, having an Indian origin. He is aware of his Dad who died in Phoenix. Victor planned for Phoenix, for closing his Dad’s account and picking up his ashes, but due to being jobless, he felt short of finances to travel to Phoenix. Thomas is another important character of the story. Both Victor and Thomas were a good companions in their childhood. Thomas was famous for telling tales, but since he kept on repeating the same tales, people were not
Nobody would love or care for him so he decided to kill Victor as an act of
The main characters go on a journey to pick up Arnold (Victor’s father) ashes and belongings in Phoenix, Arizona. Along their journey they meet different cultures and people such as a gymnast and the two cowboys that discriminates them for their appearance and culture. Through the journey, Victor embrace his feelings and beliefs with the help of Thomas. When they arrive at Arnold’s house, Victor learn that the reason of the fire that killed Thomas parents is his father, which reflects at the beginning of the movie where Arnold said to Thomas Grandma “I didn’t mean too” (Arnold Joseph, Smoke Signal, 1998). On their way back to the reservation, they get into an accident which they were blame by the real culprit of the accident. The cop asks Victor if he drink and he says, “I don't drink, never had a drop of alcohol in my life, not a drop”, (Victor Joseph, Smoke Signal, 1998). This conversation reflects to Victor’s childhood where he’s father asks him to drink his beers and he did. In the end of the story, Thomas asked Victor why he’s dad left, and Victor said “He didn’t mean too, Thomas” (Victor Joseph, Smoke Signal, 1998), and this is a metaphor of Arnold saying the same thing from the beginning of the
In “This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix Arizona”, Victor has become psychologically troubled because he has put his own traditions behind. Throughout the story, the readers find out that Victor has an internal conflict due to the unhealthy relationships in his life. His father abandons him at a very young age, which causes Victor’s loss of guidance and self-identity. The day that Victor’s father abandons his family, Victor gets “really drunk and beat[s] Thomas up for no apparent reason at all”(276).
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.
When Victor flees the creature, he becomes lonely and unhappy. He rejects his own works. If he stayed and taught him the creature would at least have a chance of happiness. When the monster flees to the cottagers he learns about human nature. He quotes “I continued for the remainder of the day in my hovel in a state of utter and stupid despair. My protector had departed and broken the only link that held me to th...
Victor doesn?t seem to be very attached to his Native American culture. When his father left, his mother married a white man, so Victor grew up with a significant figure in his life being white. He seems to follow his mother?s example to some extent, and is frequently attracted to white women. Although Victor doesn?t seem to care about being Native American, in some way, his tendency to t...
He confessed to his father, and to Robert Walton, an also far to adventurous and daring man that was on his journey to crimes of pride, about creating life and playing God, he was genuinely apologetic about his mistake. He saved Robert from making the same mistake he did. They shared the same desire in wanting fame, “ Do you share my madness? Have you drunk also of the intoxicating draught? Hear me- let me reveal my tale, and you will dash the cup from your lips.” Ultimately Victor saved himself and Robert, “ or whither does your senseless curiosity lead you? Would you also create for yourself and the world a demoniacal enemy? Peace, peace! Learn my miseries, and do not seek to increase your
Victor grows up in school both on the American Indian Reservation, then later in the farm town junior high. He faces serious discrimination at both of these schools, due to his Native American background. This is made clear in both of the schools by the way the other students treat him as well as how his teachers treat him. His classmates would steal his glasses, trip him, call him names, fight him, and many other forms of bullying. His teachers also bullied him verbally. One of his teachers gave him a spelling test and because he aced it, she made him swallow the test. When Victor was at a high school dance and he passed out on the ground. His teacher approached him and the first thing he asked was, “What’s that boy been drinking? ...
“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 Thomas. While Thomas is portrayed as the more traditional and “good” Native American, Victor comes across as the “bad” Native American. Through the use of this binary relationship, Alexie is able to illustrate the transformation of these characters as they reconcile with each other, and break out of these stereotypes in the process.
Victor’s father left his family because according to Thomas, “when they were seven years old, when Victor’s father still lived with the family, Thomas closed his eyes and told Victor this story: your father’s heart is weak. He is afraid of his own family, he is afraid of you. Late at night he sits in the dark. Watches the television until there’s 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” (512). When Victor’s father left, he never truly forgave him. Readers know that because of the details told at the beginning of the story and through the quote that was used in the second paragraph. Although he felt some resentment towards his father, he still felt obligated to bring him back to the reservation. That is where the theme of family comes into the story. Victor’s father died in his hot trailer and was not found for at least a week. Victor knew the trailer his father was staying had to have smelt ripe. But he did not care, as explained in the story, he says,“but there might be something valuable in there and I was talking about pictures and letters and stuff like that” (515). The trip that Victor made to Phoenix was a family journey. That long trip had taught Victor about himself and most importantly about his father. The grief that was bottled up inside was finally being put to rest now
He has come to believe that he had done the right thing in refusing the creatures request. The request which could of saved his friend and his wife's lives. Victor shows how selfish he can be, not taking responsibility and also believing that choosing the decision that ended his wife and friend's lives was the correct thing to choose. At this point and time, the readers are choosing who deserves the sympathy, Victor or the creature?
In “This Is What it Means to say Phoenix, Arizona” Victor was disengage from the reservation, with no identity, or not sense of who is he.
He not only turned away the being he had brought into the world; he also denied the creature companionship, friendship, and happiness while continuing to seek his own. Victor gained new purpose and even on his deathbed holds to the principle that he is justified in desiring the death of his enemy. Moment before his death he turns to Captain Robert Walton and says, “I feel justified in desiring the death of my adversary. During these last days I have been occupied in examining my past conduct; nor do I find it blamable” (156). He even begins to lose the small amount of compassion he had for the creature’s struggle.
After everything Victor has been through now he has to be alone in this world. He has lost everyone in his family and now all he has left is the monster. He faces a lot of regret because he was the one who created the monster who killed his family. He blames himself for all their deaths. Victor stated, “ They all died by my hands” (Shelley 175). Now he is faced with living without all of them because of his creation. He realizes that the creation took over his life and that he was now the slave and the monster was the master (Shelley 210). Victor toward the end of his book accepts the grief in his dying by saying, “My spirit will sleep in peace, or if it thinks, it will not surely think thus. Farewell” (Shelley 213). The only bad thing about him waiting till death to accept his wrong doings is that he never got to stand up for his family until the end when they were all already gone (Schmid). This marks the end of Victors struggles because now that his is dead he no longer struggles with science or the