A writer is like a pearl. The writer is frustrated in society and with society, eventually using the frustration to polish stories as a pearl is formed and polished from irritants. In ôThis Is What It Means To Say Phoenix, Arizona,ö Sherman Alexie illustrates such a process in the character of Thomas Builds-the-Fire. Thomas has no close relationships with others in town. He relies upon his stories to provide him with an identity. His stories represent not just how he defines himself but also how he views others and community. His relationship with Victor is temporary, lasting the duration of the time it takes them to retrieve VictorÆs dead father from Phoenix, Arizona. However, we see that this relationship is a metaphor for the relationship between a storyteller and society.
We see early in the story that Thomas Builds-the-Fire is a storyteller who remains apart from society because of the stories that so define him. Victor ôwatched Thomas Builds-the-Fire standing near the magazine rack, talking to himself. Like he always did. Thomas was a storyteller that nobody wanted to listen toö (Alexie 1994, 1). Like many writers, Thomas is distanced from society because he views it in a different manner than most people. ThomasÆ method of communication involves too much thought and embodies too much tradition and heritage for those around him. Victor is always telling him he thinks too much.
Like many writers, Thomas is more connected to the traditions, heritage, customs and pain of the past than others around him. Victor has chosen to deal with the frustrations of Indian life by joining a gang and drinking. Thomas has learned to deal with these frustrations by weaving together the stories of Indian history, stories that provide him with an identity and comfort in relation to modern reservation existence. Like many writers, by focusing on the past Thomas lends a voice to h
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