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This Is What It Means To Say Phoenix Arizona Analysis

635 Words3 Pages

Warriors of Phoenix, Arizona Cowardice can take many forms and many shapes, yet in this tale, it’s primarily about being afraid of what others think about you. ‘’This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona’’, by Sherman Alexie, is a short story about Thomas-Builds-The-Fire and Victor, on his journey to recover his father’s ashes. Victor is a coward, of which there is no doubt. He had proved it time and time again by the time this three-page story had reached its end. Once, long before Victor was ashamed of being seen with his best friend, Thomas shared a story with him about two warriors. ‘’I wish I could be a warrior’’, he had said at the end of the tale. To be a warrior is to be brave, strong, and courageous. Victor proved later on that he couldn’t be more of a contrast. He was always seeking to get the upper edge, always seeking to prove his superiority to Thomas, when they were teenagers. While drunk one night, Victor mercilessly beat up Thomas, his childhood friend, to presumably fit in with the other teens (Alexie, 1358). He wasn’t stopping either; he very well could have killed him on that night. Thomas didn’t even fight back, he just took the beating. That’s the thing though. He didn’t want to fight back, he just wanted an understanding. He wanted no war, he wanted …show more content…

Even telling Victor about the story of his father, and the debt he owed him that day. ‘’I know you ain’t going to treat me any better than you did before. I know your friends would give you too much shit about it’’, said Thomas (Alexie, 1362). Admittedly, Victor was ashamed of his actions, and more so, ashamed that Thomas was right. He wasn’t going to forego his ego and renew his friendship with Thomas, because he was afraid of what others might think of it. It simply wasn’t worth it to

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No matter how hard he struggled, Victor couldn’t pull free. He might have died right there, stung a thousand times, if Thomas Builds-The-Fire had not come along.” He didn’t freak out when the wasp nest got stuck on his foot. Ultimately, Victor dealt with all the bad situations that got put in his

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Victor is described to be ashamed by the look of Thomas with "ratty old braids and broken teeth" holding a conversation with a "beautiful Olympic gymnast" (Alexie 277). The contact Thomas has with the women symbolizes the uneasy relation Native American communities have with the outside world. While Victor does have a moment of pride when he quickly tells the women that he is a "'Full-blood'" Indian, the encounter ends with Victor saying "'it's too bad we can't always be that way'" (Alexie 277). This foreshadowing event aims to convey the idea that Victor is aware that in other social circumstances he would hide being a Native American, but also shows the priming of his ability to be proud of his

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Major conflicts of the story included the fight between Thomas and Victor, and also he conflict within Victor’s mind as well. The moral of the story is “Treat people as you would want to be treated and never take anyone or granted.” Victor took Thomas for granted and mistreated him because he was different. But in the end it was Thomas that came to his rescue and not only helped him get to phoenix for his father’s possessions, but helped him find his true identity as

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