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What It Means To Say Phoenix Arizona By Sherman Alexie

1021 Words5 Pages

Is Thomas crazy? With Victor being the protagonist that explains about Thomas behaviors, it may seem a reflection of this judgement shows otherwise. In the story “This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona”, written by Sherman Alexie, Victor stands in the perspective of the modern generation, which helps people to relate to these characters. On the other hand, the antagonist, Thomas Builds-the-Fire, is demonstrated as an outcast, yet he resonate the history of Indian tradition and culture. What people consider as crazy when they sees a Thomas speaking to himself is: What is he saying? Alexie’s story mostly resonate irony for the Indian community and the modern society with stories that defy traditions. As my classmate, Ngan Phan, wrote …show more content…

In Indian traditions during the Colonial Period, storytelling is often associated with sitting around a campfire in the woods. It can also be interpreted as the story that will ignite or make people aware of Native Indians and Americans history. With the lack of recorded events with the use of traditional oral storytelling, such as passing down stories from generations to generations, the Native Indians has a sparse share within the history of America. The generation has changed along with its people; therefore, this type of practice soon dissipate along with the beholder of those …show more content…

He does closes his eyes to tells the stories like reading a book, for he is seeking his answers from the past to compare the modern society. When Victor is drunk, he beats Thomas up for no specific reason. If Victor represents the people, and Thomas stands for the traditions, it shows how people can argue that the Indian might had not fought the war for their own independence. The answers lie on the people who are willing to listen. As Alexie writes, “Thomas Builds-the-Fire told his stories to all those who would stop and listen. He kept telling them long after people had stopped listening” (Alexie 511). Nothing has changed throughout history until someone wanted to acknowledge the past. Otherwise, it will repeats itself. After Victor and Thomas came back from Arizona, he says, “It was the beginning of a new day on earth, but the same old shit on the reservation” (511). Nothing has

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