Peace is not a constant state which is easy to achieve. Every person will find moments of peace throughout their lives, but to truly feel peace is difficult to achieve. “This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona” is a moving story about a young man’s journey to finding this peace within himself. Victor,whose father has just passed away due to a heart attack, is planning a trip to Phoenix, Arizona so that he may claim his father’s savings account. To do so, he must find the funds to travel from his home of Spokane Indian Reservation to Phoenix, Arizona. Victor has just lost his job working at the Bureau of Indian Affairs, so the funds for his trip prove to be difficult to pull together. Luckily, living …show more content…
They discussed their childhood as friends, which brought different occasions (such as when Victor was drunk and beat Thomas up for no good reason) back to the surface. When the reader sees into the past of the two boy’s friendship, he or she has a better understanding for why the boys act the way they do now. When Victor almost couldn’t go into his father’s home, Thomas Builds-the-Fire told him that he would go inside with Victor. He did not just expect Victor to go in there by himself. Once the boys collected a few items, they left with Victor’s father’s ashes and headed back to their home at Spokane Indian Reservation in Washington. Upon arrival, Victor halved his father’s ashes with Thomas, representing that the two of them would always be connected. “This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona” is a wonderful story which shows the struggles that one may encounter through his or her life. Although all may struggle, there is always a light at the end of the tunnel. Both Victor and Thomas were raised within Spokane Indian Reservation, meaning that they were each raised with similar teachings from their parents. Throughout “This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona,” one is able to see the lifestyle and behaviour of