The following dissertation will focus on the short story, "This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona," by Sherman Alexie. This document will outline continual themes on cultural assumptions regarding identity, and based on the perspective of the short story and its interplay, will show how the work of Alexie disproves these assumptions regarding identity within the Native American community. Herein, the author provides a powerful, emotional broadening of our perspective which encompasses a greater vision of these identity themes, as related to the characters of the story-line, and more importantly, to the Native American community as a whole.
Sherman Alexie wrote the work based on the observation that popular culture in America recognized only two major Native American identity archetypes: that of the warrior and the shaman. His short-story attempt to subvert (disprove) these stereotypes by using various images and emotionally-raw story lines.
[...] This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona is an identity-search for both of the characters. Each of the men are embarking on a soul-searching endeavor, and while neither of them agree on what it means to be an Indian, each of their approaches and perspectives on that identity is different. In this sense, the author actually offers up two very different approaches, and thus even further challenges the notion of identity. Victor is a stoic and practical man, while Thomas is takes a more romanticized, spiritual approach to his identity structure. [...]
[...] Within this duality and multiplicity of meaning, it is impossible to rely on one identity assumption, and in this sense, “This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona,” breaks with the aforementioned idealization and assumption on identity. Napierkowski describes the author's creation of the work in the following terms: "Alexie fuses surreal imagery, flashbacks, dream sequences, diary entries, and extended poetic passages with his storytelling to create tales that resemble prose poems more than conventional narratives.”[1] Identity in the Character of Thomas Builds the Fire On the one hand there is Thomas Builds the Fire, an eccentric legend- telling, vision-seeing Native American, who everyone avoids. [...]
[...] Thomas also holds the identity of what it means to be deeply ensconced within his tribal identity and traditions, and yet still he breaks with those assumptions as he is fully able to both critique the old traditions, as well as the problematic ironies that exist within them. When Victor's father dies, Thomas seems to know that fact before Victor tells him. When Thomas inquires as to how he knew of his late father's passing, Thomas, the representation of the tribal storyteller, tells him: heard it on the wind. [...]
[...] Conclusions The piece, This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona, is both a dark and somber odyssey, as well as a humorous, ironic take on Native American identity. Through its characters, we are given an “insiders” view on what it means to identity oneself as a contemporary Native American. Thomas proves to be a genuine storyteller, but his tales never dissolve into the usual hocus pocus surrounding shamans; and Victor is indeed a warrior, but he is neither stoic nor silent. [...]
[...] Alexie's This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona, is a firm break with the stereotypes of past identifications of what it means to be Native American. The odyssey story-line focuses less on typical Native American story-lines of the idealized warrior/father attempting reestablish the tribe, or return back to some idealized tribal home, but rather the thematic expression focuses on a warrior/son attempting to physically, spiritually and emotionally connect to the alcoholic father who had abandoned him as a child, and died alone in a tragic way. [...]
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