This Is What It Means To Say Phoenix Arizona Setting Analysis
Amanda Sehdev
03/19/2013
Setting Essay
In Sherman Alexie’s “This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona”, a young man named Victor finds out that his father has passed, but can’t afford to travel from Spokane to Phoenix, especially after the fact that he had just lost his job at the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The first setting in Spokane describes what Victor and other Indians go through on the reserve, this cultural aspect is actually interesting because nobody knows what others go through and how tough their lives may actually be. Victor asks the tribal council if he can borrow money from the tribal council until he gets the assets that his father left for him. All they can offer him is $100, which he agrees to take. Victor’s mother barely has enough money to help him out and his family doesn’t really keep in touch with him. Victor’s old childhood friend Thomas Builds-The-Fire hears about his issue and offers to help only under the condition that he can tag along. Thomas is a storyteller on the reserve, who everyone thinks is weird and nobody wants to listen to because he tells the same story over and over again. Victor agreed to let Thomas help him and let him ride along. …show more content…
Thomas embarrasses Victor by asking her questions and talking during the whole flight, even though she did turn out to be a nice woman. Once they landed, they got a taxi to the trailer where Victor’s dad lived. Walking into the trailer was a little hard for the two of them because Victor’s dad had passed away in the trailer and was not found for over a week. They describe that Arizona is over one-hundred degrees during the summer, so I can only imagine the stench that came out of the trailer. Victor told Thomas that he didn’t have to help but he still
03/19/2013
Setting Essay
In Sherman Alexie’s “This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona”, a young man named Victor finds out that his father has passed, but can’t afford to travel from Spokane to Phoenix, especially after the fact that he had just lost his job at the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The first setting in Spokane describes what Victor and other Indians go through on the reserve, this cultural aspect is actually interesting because nobody knows what others go through and how tough their lives may actually be. Victor asks the tribal council if he can borrow money from the tribal council until he gets the assets that his father left for him. All they can offer him is $100, which he agrees to take. Victor’s mother barely has enough money to help him out and his family doesn’t really keep in touch with him. Victor’s old childhood friend Thomas Builds-The-Fire hears about his issue and offers to help only under the condition that he can tag along. Thomas is a storyteller on the reserve, who everyone thinks is weird and nobody wants to listen to because he tells the same story over and over again. Victor agreed to let Thomas help him and let him ride along. …show more content…
Thomas embarrasses Victor by asking her questions and talking during the whole flight, even though she did turn out to be a nice woman. Once they landed, they got a taxi to the trailer where Victor’s dad lived. Walking into the trailer was a little hard for the two of them because Victor’s dad had passed away in the trailer and was not found for over a week. They describe that Arizona is over one-hundred degrees during the summer, so I can only imagine the stench that came out of the trailer. Victor told Thomas that he didn’t have to help but he still