"Mine are the stories which can change or not change the world" (72).
In The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, Sherman Alexie creates a character who tells stories to all who will listen. Thomas Builds-the-Fire is the storyteller, and he and Victor Joseph grow up together as friends on the reservation. But because of Thomas' storytelling, their relationship as young men has become estranged. In This Is What It Means To Say Phoenix, Arizona, the boys take a road trip to collect what Victor's father has left behind after his death including his remains. Victor needs the money Thomas can give him in order to make the trip, and part of the bargain is that Victor will have to listen to Thomas' stories on the journey. Reluctantly, Victor agrees, and the two set out together for Phoenix, Arizona.
How do Alexie's stories help to "change the world"? What changes between Thomas and Victor on their trip? How does Alexie use the character of Thomas Builds-the-Fire to help readers relate to the characters in the stories? And, why is this character estranged from the Indian (a word Alexie uses without prejudice) community?
