Conflict Within the Mind

Conflict Within Thyself

Jermaine Kelly

ENG 102 072

Prof. Messina

Essay 1

October 2nd, 2007.

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Sherman Alexie’s story, “This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona”, states mainly how two Native Americans struggle to adapt to modern times and their culture, and the conflict they endured within their lifetime. The story focuses on two main characters that embark on a cross-country journey to retrieve a dead father’s ashes and belongings. Victor, one of the main characters in the story, must come to terms with his personal conflicts when he finds that his father is dead and he must retrieve his personal belongings. With no money and no adequate financial assistance from the Tribal Council to retrieve his father’s remains, his one-time friend, Thomas Builds-the-Fire, offers him the money he needs to make the trip. On one condition only, he must bring him along for the ride. Once in Phoenix, Victor must confront his conflicted feelings towards his father and one-time friend, Thomas Builds-the-Fire, as well as his own identity. Yet, the conflict between Thomas and Victor leads to more substantial struggle, the conflict that Victor possesses within himself. The most apparent conflict in the story is the inter-personal conflict between Thomas Builds-the-Fire and Victor. As young children, Victor and Thomas Builds-the-Fire got into a fistfight. Revealed through the text in the story, it was told it was Victor who instigated the fight between the two because he was extremely drunk. Due to Victor’s internal frustration, he unleashes his anger onto Thomas for no reason at all. Before the physical incident occurred between

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Victor and Thomas Builds-the-Fire, they would often see other on the reservation but due to Victor’s insecurity on how others would view him, he decided to befriend Thomas Builds-the-Fire. Throughout his tribe, Thomas Builds-the-Fire was hated for his visions and his way of life. Victor chided Thomas for thinking so much as kids because Thomas was so concerned about the past. He was a traditional and idealistic Native American Indians who believed in the ways and views of his forefathers. He believed that Native American Indians should not distant themselves from their past but better themselves from it. Because of these views and the stories he told, he was cast as the outcast of the tribe. Thomas Builds-the-Fire has no close relationships with others in town. He solely relies upon his stories to provide him with a sense of security, an identity per say. Thomas Builds-the-Fire not only uses the stories to define himself but also how he views others and community. Early in the story, we see that Thomas Builds-the-Fire is a storyteller who remains apart from society because of the stories that so define him. There was a time when they were once young when Thomas Builds-the-Fire quoted “It’s strange how us Indians celebrate the Fourth of July. It ain’t like it was our independence everybody was fighting for.” Victor replies, “You think about things too much.” Thomas Builds-the-fire was outcast for his views from his own friend, Victor, even as youngsters.

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This became one of the many conflicts that Victor would have to face on his journey to Phoenix, Arizona.

Victor’s insecure ways plays a sufficient role in this story and the author, Sherman Alexie, goes a length to exploit that in a manner that many Native American Indians suffer from today. The setting on the airplane adds a significant meaning and understanding to Victor’s conflicts within himself. During their flight to Phoenix, Arizona, Victor gets to see the first person-to-person interaction that Thomas Builds-the-Fire has with someone other then Victor. The interaction between Thomas Builds-the-Fire and Cathy, the beautiful gymnast that he converses with on the flight, shows Thomas’s social skills and maturity level and a mere understanding of his Indian ancestry. Thomas presents himself in a confident and respectful manner as he approaches Cathy for mere conversation. Victor saw that Thomas Builds-the-Fire was not shy or afraid. As Thomas Builds-the-Fire started off with building up a conversation with Cathy, the gymnast, Victor closes his eyes in embarrassment. He was surprised to see that someone other then himself would have a conversation with Thomas Builds-the-Fire. It showed in that part of the story that Victor was not as confident as Thomas Builds-the-Fire. On their journey to Phoenix, to retrieve Victor’s father’s