Sherman Alexie's short story "This Is What It Means to Say
Phoenix, Arizona" concerns two characters reflecting upon and reevaluating their past histories
and experiences. When Victor's father dies, Victor and Thomas travel from their reservation in
Washington to Phoenix to retrieve the ashes of Victor's departed father. The journey offers
Victor and Thomas--who are not necessarily friends and who growing up had a fair amount of
animosity between them--an opportunity to get to know one another better and make some amends for
their previous behavior. Additionally, Thomas and Victor also both reflect upon their own
familial relationships and Thomas commiserates with Victor on the loss of a
parent.
The story is an exploration of that very human experience of
life causing an individual to reflect and see his or her world and past in a new light. Victor
and Thomas both come away from the experience as changed men. They are not suddenly best friends
and it is not suggested that their journey has solved all of the problems between them, but the
reader does sense that they both are now more adept at seeing the world through each others eyes
and understanding better the struggles and challenges each faces into the
future.
No comments:
Post a Comment