Sherman Alexie is an American novelist, poet and filmmaker. Much of Alexie’s writing alludes to his experiences as an Indigenous American. One of Alexie’s most famous piece of writing is his short story “This is What it Means To Say Phoenix, Arizona” from his 1993 book The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, which interconnects short stories with recurring characters. The previously listed story, “This is What it Means To Say Phoenix”, follows the journey of Victor Joseph and Thomas Builds-the-Fire as they travel to Phoenix, Arizona to collect Victors recently deceased father’s ashes. The two characters are polar of each other, which causes a conflict between the two. Victor is a more modern Indigenous American whilst Thomas is more …show more content…
However, when taking an indepth look, this fictional story depicts two contrary personalities overcoming their dissimilarities in order to work together. With the help of the Point of view of the story, 3rd person omniscient one can observe what Victor and Thomas think of each other. While Victor chooses to shy away from his ancestors culture, Thomas on the other hand, as previously stated, embraces his culture. For example, when Thomas sees Victor at the trading post, it states, “Thomas looked at Victor, smiled, and walked over to him”. Thomas, generally speaking, shouldn’t be speaking to Victor as we soon come to find out that the two had previously had an altercation, with Victor jumping Thomas; with the latter sustaining massive injuries and never receiving an apology. This small act of kindness exhibits the forgiving nature of Thomas in the way that, despite being nearly beaten to death by Victor, Thomas took it upon himself to take the highroad and show he is not holding a grudge. This ties back into THomas being a forgiving person, as a common Native belief is to forgive hate and anger. Native’s forgive because they believe it gives them the ability to bare peace of mind, and it can clearly be seen throughout the story that Thomas has a clear conscience. The only thing on Thomas’ mind, is the deal he made with Victor’s father; to take care of Victor. While it can be said Thomas
Sherman Alexie was a man who is telling us about his life. As an author he uses a lot of repetition, understatement, analogy, and antithesis. Alexie was a man of greater words and was a little Indian boy at the beginning of the story and later became a role model for other boys like him who were shy and alone. Alexie was someone who used his writing to inspire others such as other Indian kids like himself to keep learning and become the best that they can be.
Literature is defined as written works, especially those considered of superior or lasting artistic merit. For a textbook definition, this suffices. However, literature is much more than that, it’s a form of expression. In Sherman Alexie’s The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fist Fight in Heaven, we are able to see native communities in a different way than what we read about in articles or research papers. We’re given a different perspective on them which can help us understand these communities better. The first chapter, though it is early in the book, is able to support this idea.
Thomas had thrown a party with the money he gets from allowing an electric company to have poles on his land, he ends up leaving the party, and is seen walking on the side of the rode by his boy Victor, and Victor’s friend Junior who had snuck out the party to take magic mushrooms at Benjamin Lake, and Thomas joins them. Thomas sees Victor taking a horse. This is followed by an interlude, described in the first person, in which the storyteller portrays taking a horse from an encampment that belongs to "The Others". Junior takes the mushrooms while driving, and describes Thomas as dancing naked. This is trailed by yet another intermission in which the Junior depicts Thomas is dancing out of sadness after his whole tribe has been exposed to and therefore killed by smallpox. The dancing has magical powers and sends all the white people back to Europe. At the end, Victor takes the mushrooms and sees Junior is singing. In a parallel history in which Native Americans have seized control over the United States. Alexie explores what it implies for his characters to be "real Indians" (20). The characters in this piece have a weird association with their way of life. Victor, Thomas, Junior feel profound ties to their Spokane custom, but the way they live life and the encounters they have are different from that
Sherman Alexie could possibly be the most realistic man on the planet. In his book, The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fist Fight in Heaven, Alexie uses short stories to paint a picture of his childhood growing up on an Indian reservation. Through a web of characters a saddening image is created with overriding themes of alcoholism, racism, distrust and failure. This image has become greatly controversial because of the stereotypical way it portrays the Spokane Indian tribe. Even though Alexie is himself a Spokane some may say that he was out of line in the depiction of his people; however, Alexie is simply a realist relaying information from his upbringing to the world. He tells not only of the bad but also of the good times on the reservation,
Culture has the power and ability to give someone spiritual and emotional distinction which shapes one's identity. Without culture society would be less and less diverse. Culture is what gives this earth warmth and color that expands across miles and miles. The author of “The School Days of an Indian Girl”, Zitkala Sa, incorporates the ideals of her Native American culture into her writing. Similarly, Sherman Alexie sheds light onto the hardships he struggled through growing up on the Spokane Indian Reservation in his book The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven in a chapter titled “Indian Education”. While both Zitkala Sa and Sherman Alexie were Native Americans, and take on a similar persona showcasing their native culture in their text, the two diverge in the situations that they face. Zitkala Sa’s writing takes on a more timid shade as she is incorporated into the “white” culture, whereas Alexie more boldly and willingly immerses himself into the culture of the white man. One must leave something in order to realize how
All three scenarios carry a heavy influence over Victor and his upbringings and the formation of lost individuality. As with many younger Native American generations, the burden of being fearless, confident, and intense like their ancestors before them often weighs down their own personal growth and transformation. Unlike Sherman Alexie’s previous literary works, The Lone Ranger and the Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, can be interpreted as somewhat biological and still all the more conflicting.
Life is not always what we expect it to be. The way in which we address our circumstances and how we allow our circumstances to affect us can sometimes dictate our life. In the story” This is What It Means to say Phoenix, Arizona,” we are presented the opportunity to view the life of two vital characters, Victor and Thomas Builds-the-Fire. The author, Sherman Alexie has used for his advantage the elements of literature to bring the reader to relate to the story emotionally, for example, symbols, Character development, setting, and figurative speech. The author believes that Victor’s journey to Phoenix, Arizona, to retrieve his deceased father’s remains will guide him through his struggles
Victor’s lack of compassion and sympathy towards the monster causes him to become angry instead of guilty. His cruelness to his creation made the monster kill and hurt the people he did but “when [he] reflected on [the monster’s] crimes and malice, [Victor’s] hatred and revenge burst all bounds of moderation,”(Shelley 325). Without compassion Victor thinks that the only way to stop the monster is to get revenge on him, instead of just giving him the empathy and kindness that monster craved. Victor realizes that "if he were vanquished, [he] should be a free man...balanced by those horrors of remorse and guilt which would pursue [him] until death. ”(Shelley 731).
Sherman Alexie's literature often uses symbolic features relating to Native American culture. His characters tell their stories while Alexie tells his own story simultaneously. His 1993 short story, This is What It Means to Say Pheonix Arizona and later film adaption Smoke Signals focuses on two young native American men, Victor and Thomas on a journey to collect Victor's father's ashes. Throughout the journey, Victor reflects on previous events that relate to the death of his abusive father. Fire and Ash continually show up throughout the story; it can be seen through Victor's anger, actual fires and even symbolic fires. Although different,
When he shares his stories, he closes his eyes and crosses his hands as if praying; there is something spiritual about his prophecies, an old wisdom shared through tales. However, his Native identity seems to be belittled by how he dresses and how he chooses to wear his hair back in braids. It may be an allusion to how Indians were forced to assimilate to the ways of the Europeans in boarding schools. Victor even gives Thomas a lesson on “how to be a real Indian” which includes acting stoic and looking as if they just came back from battle as warriors. The roles of Thomas and Victor demonstrate how some generations of Indians embraced its history and others rejected
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
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? ...
“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.
Alexie, Sherman. "This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona" The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven. New York: The Atlantic Monthly Press, 1993. Print.
Alexie, Sherman. "This Is What It Means To Say Phoenix, Arizona." Mandell and Kirszner 274-83.