This Is What It Means To Say Phoenix Arizona Analysis

513 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: What is this is what it means to say phoenix arizona

Symbolism is a big part of This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix Arizona. In fact, the story is a bit cryptic. At face value, it is a short road-trip about two long-separated friends. But, underneath what is obvious, it is a story of growth, clarity, and understanding. Starting with the tittle, the story makes a statement that leaves a question. The key word from the title is “Phoenix.” This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix Arizona is about Victor rising up as a character. Victor didn’t really go through any obvious changes in the story. Beyond the superficial level, though, he gained clarity. A clarity particular to his place in life. When the story started Victor was stubborn and closed minded. Thomas was just a weird man he was once friends with, and the reservation was his home—even though he didn’t much care for it. By the end of This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix Arizona, Victor began down the path of understanding. He still rejected Thomas as a friend and went back to the reservation he spent his whole life on, but he did so with a new direction. Victor told Thomas that he would listen to just one of his stories. Before …show more content…

Mostly in Victor, but also in the world. Traditionalism versus modernism has a hand in the entire narrative. Thomas follows the typical architype of a Native-American in fiction. He listens to wind for answers, tells anecdotal proverbs and stories, as an example. Beyond the scope of characters, there were also broad scale changes going on. The people living on the reservation kept old values where they could, but they also did things like celebrate the fourth of July. Thomas even mentioned that it made no sense for Native-Americans to celebrate the fourth of July because the independence the holiday celebrates isn’t directed towards Native-Americans. Victor and Thomas are representative of the traditional and modern parts of the world. They are two halves of a

Show More
Related

  • Book Review Of Burro Genius, By Victor Villasenor

    914 Words  | 2 Pages

    He did not want to go and leave his family and especially his mother behind. When he first got to school, he did not want to let go of his mother, and it took the teacher to pull him off from his mother in order for him to take his seat. He was not allowed to speak Spanish at school with the other kids. His teacher hated Mexicans, thought they were dirty and ugly, and how they will bring knives and guns to school. Then Victor tries to run away from home instead of facing the punishment from his parents. One his way of running away, he meets these two cowboys and he is so fascinated with them, he tells them they can stay at his family’s ranch. When he talks to his father and his father decided to let the cowboys stay at the ranch. When Victor learns that the cowboys told his father about him running away and how it deeply upset his father. The cowboys were surprised because usually the white kids are the ones who always run away how the Mexican kids the ones are known as good people. The story then jumps to when Victor started going back to school where he had a teacher who was actually nice to him and cared about him. He was very good at mathematics, but was not very good at reading and would try anything to get out of it. His teacher started to notice that he was not reading aloud and how he was paying some the other students a nickel in order to get out of reading. His teacher thought since he was so good at math he would be able to catch up with his reading by the end of the year. Yet, when the end of the year ended up rolling around his teacher had to call his parents to let them know that Victor had to be held back a year. Yet, he father ended up becoming angry that the teacher did not even truly know his son and how his teachers kept pushing them around. Then he asked how much it would take to buy off the teacher to let Victor go to the next

    Read More

  • Pratt's Attitudes Towards Native Americans

    1476 Words  | 3 Pages

    This particular document highlights Richard Pratt’s ideas and attitudes towards Native Americans. Essentially Pratt believed that keeping Natives on reservations is not doing them any good when it comes to assimilating them into American culture, and the only way to properly do so is to fully submerge them. Due to the fact that Native Americans are only “theoretically” learning about American culture on their reservations and not “feel[ing] the touch of it day after day” they were not becoming “true Americans” and living up to their true

    Read More

  • Charles Eastman: Bridging the Gap Between Cultures

    1228 Words  | 3 Pages

    of Native American Culture as a Means of Reform,” American Indian Quarterly 26, no. 1

    Read More

  • A Century Of Dishonor, By Helen Hunt Jackson

    678 Words  | 2 Pages

    To understand Jackson’s book and why it was written, however, one must first fully comprehend the context of the time period it was published in and understand what was being done to and about Native Americans in the 19th century. From the Native American point of view, the frontier, which settlers viewed as an economic opportunity, was nothin...

    Read More

  • Sherman Alexie's This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona

    1559 Words  | 4 Pages

    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).

    Read More

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

    785 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Sherman Alexie's Indian Education

    1266 Words  | 3 Pages

    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? ...

    Read More

  • THE TRAIL OF TEARS

    1787 Words  | 4 Pages

    “Quantie’s weak body shuddered from a blast of cold wind. Still, the proud wife of the Cherokee chief John Ross wrapped a woolen blanket around her shoulders and grabbed the reins.” Leading the final group of Cherokee Indians from their home lands, Chief John Ross thought of an old story that was told by the chiefs before him, of a place where the earth and sky met in the west, this was the place where death awaits. He could not help but fear that this place of death was where his beloved people were being taken after years of persecution and injustice at the hands of white Americans, the proud Indian people were being forced to vacate their lands, leaving behind their homes, businesses and almost everything they owned while traveling to an unknown place and an uncertain future. The Cherokee Indians suffered terrible indignities, sickness and death while being removed to the Indian territories west of the Mississippi, even though they maintained their culture and traditions, rebuilt their numbers and improved their living conditions by developing their own government, economy and social structure, they were never able to return to their previous greatness or escape the injustices of the American people.

    Read More

  • This Is What It Means To Say Phoenix, Arizona: Stereotypes

    1195 Words  | 3 Pages

    “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.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of This Is What It Means To Say Phoenix, Arizona

    1442 Words  | 3 Pages

    Victor knew he was a Native American that lived on the reservation. However, as he has grown up, it seems he has forgotten the tribal ties of the Native Americans. The people of that culture consider everyone in the tribe to be family and they are not ashamed of who they are and where they come from. Towards the end of the fictional narrative it is said, “Victor was ashamed of himself. Whatever happened to the tribal ties, the sense of community? The only real thing he shared with anybody was a bottle and broken dreams. He owed Thomas something, anything” (519). At the end of the story, Victor has finally realize that he is acting self absorbed. He realizes that this is not who he wants to be and he should not be ashamed to talk to Thomas Builds-a-Fire. Remembering his tribal ties, Victor gives half of his father 's ashes to Thomas. By doing that, Victor is thanking Thomas in his own way. Victor said, “listen, and handed Thomas the cardboard box which contained half of his father. “I want you to have this” (519). Individuals on the reservation thought Thomas was just a madman with weird stories. But in reality he was always true to his tribal identity and has even taught Victor how to get back to that. For example Thomas says, “I’m going to travel to Spokane Falls one last time and toss these ashes into the water. And your father will rise like a salmon, leap over the bridge, over me, and find his way

    Read More

  • Rez Life

    1178 Words  | 3 Pages

    When a native author Greg Sams said that the reservations are just “red ghettos”, the author David disagree with that. He thinks there must be something else beyond that point. After his grandfather died, he somehow changed his mind. Because he could not think anything e...

    Read More

  • Examples Of Individualism In Frankenstein

    1159 Words  | 3 Pages

    With the different trips that Victor endures individually, it hints a sense of individuality as he seeks isolation from the world. He is also a very emotional man, who loves his family. As death of his family members occurs, he becomes emotionally unstable and seeks revenge against his creation. Ultimately trying to end the life he so vigorously wanted to create. This reflects both the passion and individualism theme from the Romantic

    Read More

  • I M Not The Indian You Had In Mind Essay

    408 Words  | 1 Pages

    Firstly, the poem, “I’m not the Indian you had in mind,” is oozing with stereotypes and irony. Talking about how people assume “Indians” are the figure found in history books wearing hides and a headdress is a common stereotype and misconception. The quote, “With wolf and eagle by his side,” as well as “the boys who sing around the drum” make the truth in the statement genuinely visible. Thomas also speaks that “He may well have a secret song, a dance he’ll share, a long lost chant,” supporting the stereotypes that Indians are perceived to be like.

    Read More

  • A Worn Path, An Analysis

    324 Words  | 1 Pages

    Although I feel as though there are many literary elements throughout this short story such as characterization and theme, I also feel as though symbolism is very important as well. First of all, I believe that the name Phoenix in itself is symbolic for the type of person the old woman truly is. A Phoenix is a mythological creature who dies in fire and rises from ashes only to be stronger. It is as though all of these hardships only make the old woman more determined to complete her journey successfully.

    Read More

  • Thomas In This Is What It Means To Say Phoenix Arizona

    346 Words  | 1 Pages

    The character Thomas in “This Is What It Means To Say Phoenix Arizona” lives on an Indian Reservation governed by tribal council. He is a forced loner because people on the reservation avoided him because of his redundant stories . His stories are most often told to the stars and wind as most times no one would listen. He displays many characteristics throughout the story but his kindness is what stand out the most.

    Read More

More about This Is What It Means To Say Phoenix Arizona Analysis

Open Document