"This is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona" is from his collection of short stories, The Lone Ranger and
Tonto Fistfight into Heaven. "This is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona" is about a young Indian man named Victor who not only recently lost his job but has also found out about his father's death in Phoenix, Arizona. Victor is not very close to his father because he left when Victor was relatively young and did not try to keep their relationship steady. However, Victor still has a generic love for his dad which causes him to want to get his father's ashes.
Victor lives in Spokane, Washington and is too poor to afford a round-way ticket to Phoenix, Arizona. Victor seeks help from the tribal council, but they're only able to give …show more content…
Victor runs into an old friend named Thomas Builds- The- Fire who is known for telling his stories and sharing his visions with any person or object willing to listen. Unfortunately, most people don't care to listen to Thomas so he ends up talking to himself, cars or animals instead. Although Thomas and Victor are no longer friends Thomas knows Victors father very well and tells Victor that he will give him the money in order to get to Phoenix as long as he takes him to Phoenix as well.Victor does not want Thomas to come along on his journey in fear of what others might think if they saw him speaking with Thomas. However, Victor realizes he doesn't have very many choices and agrees to take Thomas Builds-The-Fire to Phoenix in order to get his father's ashes and his father trailer. On their trip to Phoenix, Arizona Victor thinks back on his childhood memories with Thomas which causes him to also reevaluate his own life. Victor thinks back on an incident that took place when he was only fifteen years old.
Victor became drunk and ended up brutally attacking Thomas for no reason while the other boys on the reservation watched. Victor only stops beating …show more content…
Victor's father takes Thomas out for lunch and agrees to never tell Thomas's parents that he traveled all the way to Spokane by himself if he agrees to look out for Victor. Once Victor Learns about Thomas's and his dad's conversation he begins to think about all of the good his father has done and some of the bad he has done as well and ends up smiling. Once Thomas and Victor are at his father's trailer
Victor decided to wants to look inside his father's trailer for valuables. Not valuables that can earn him money but instead valuables with sentimental meanings such as a photo book. As Victor spends more time with Thomas and learns more about his father to begins to feel whole again. It seems that he has forgiven his father for leaving him when he was younger and even apologizes to Thomas for attacking him all those years ago. There is a lot of symbolism in this story such as when Thomas and Victor are driving back to Phoenix, Victor drives for sixteen hours before asking Thomas to take over. While Thomas s driving he hits a rabbit and kills it.
Thomas and Victor talk about how empty this desert is and how coincidental it is that the one time they actually see a live animal Thomas murders it. They both
Tonto Fistfight into Heaven. "This is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona" is about a young Indian man named Victor who not only recently lost his job but has also found out about his father's death in Phoenix, Arizona. Victor is not very close to his father because he left when Victor was relatively young and did not try to keep their relationship steady. However, Victor still has a generic love for his dad which causes him to want to get his father's ashes.
Victor lives in Spokane, Washington and is too poor to afford a round-way ticket to Phoenix, Arizona. Victor seeks help from the tribal council, but they're only able to give …show more content…
Victor runs into an old friend named Thomas Builds- The- Fire who is known for telling his stories and sharing his visions with any person or object willing to listen. Unfortunately, most people don't care to listen to Thomas so he ends up talking to himself, cars or animals instead. Although Thomas and Victor are no longer friends Thomas knows Victors father very well and tells Victor that he will give him the money in order to get to Phoenix as long as he takes him to Phoenix as well.Victor does not want Thomas to come along on his journey in fear of what others might think if they saw him speaking with Thomas. However, Victor realizes he doesn't have very many choices and agrees to take Thomas Builds-The-Fire to Phoenix in order to get his father's ashes and his father trailer. On their trip to Phoenix, Arizona Victor thinks back on his childhood memories with Thomas which causes him to also reevaluate his own life. Victor thinks back on an incident that took place when he was only fifteen years old.
Victor became drunk and ended up brutally attacking Thomas for no reason while the other boys on the reservation watched. Victor only stops beating …show more content…
Victor's father takes Thomas out for lunch and agrees to never tell Thomas's parents that he traveled all the way to Spokane by himself if he agrees to look out for Victor. Once Victor Learns about Thomas's and his dad's conversation he begins to think about all of the good his father has done and some of the bad he has done as well and ends up smiling. Once Thomas and Victor are at his father's trailer
Victor decided to wants to look inside his father's trailer for valuables. Not valuables that can earn him money but instead valuables with sentimental meanings such as a photo book. As Victor spends more time with Thomas and learns more about his father to begins to feel whole again. It seems that he has forgiven his father for leaving him when he was younger and even apologizes to Thomas for attacking him all those years ago. There is a lot of symbolism in this story such as when Thomas and Victor are driving back to Phoenix, Victor drives for sixteen hours before asking Thomas to take over. While Thomas s driving he hits a rabbit and kills it.
Thomas and Victor talk about how empty this desert is and how coincidental it is that the one time they actually see a live animal Thomas murders it. They both