"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?
Alexie's stories help to "change the world" in part because Alexie reveals an almost hidden part to Indian culture, sheltered behind the majority of society's view via a reservation. In a way, Alexie tells the unknown in the form of stories that strike at the reality of the Native American situation.
ReplyDeleteThomas and Victor re-kindle their old bond during their journey, but only because it's outside of the reservation. The fact that Thomas is separated from the rest of the community (74) leaves Victor not able to hang out with him. Alexie, in this way, uses Thomas' characteristics to represent the way Native Americans should be. Thomas is disregarded from the Indian community because of this - Alexie describes him as a dentist in a town full of people with false teeth (61). In other ways, Thomas also represents the tradition that is struggling to continue to live in the face of poverty that the Native Americans face. Alexie narrates that "Victor felt a sudden need for tradition" (62).
How Thomas specifically relates to the readers is through the mystery that surrounds Thomas. There is barely any narrative on him, and the only characterization we get about him is that he tells stories. It's almost like Thomas is an observer, but at the same time he holds on to tradition and recalls tradition to the community around him, falling upon deaf ears.
Alexie’s stories help to ‘change the world’ because they show the truth behind the Indian community. He shows the division present between the new assimilated ways of thinking and the older ways of thinking, and how these are unable to fit together, as is shown by the estranged character of Thomas Builds-the-Fire. Because this truth about the Indian community is unknown, the stories can help to ‘change the world’ if people choose to listen. This is why the stories ‘can change or not change’ the world, as people have to choose to listen and accept the truth. The characters can be related to the reader through the character of Thomas because he is an outsider, and because he represents the truth.
ReplyDeleteOn the trip, Thomas and Victor are able to go back to the relationship they had when they were children. When they were younger, they were not bothered by other people or what others thought about them, and Victor, specifically, did not feel embarrassed about being friends with Thomas Builds-the-Fire. On the trip, they are not in the reservation and are therefore not around other people who may judge them. When on the plane, Victor is embarrassed of Thomas Build-the-Fire when he speaks to the stranger, but quickly realizes that the stranger is not affected by the prejudices of the people at the reservations. This brings them closer and Victor finally allows himself to listen to Thomas Build-the-Fire and his stories. Victor is able to learn from Thomas Builds-the-Fire’s story about his father, and is able to gain an understanding of his father through the story. This is especially important because Victor did not live with his father and had not seen him for a long time when his father died. Thomas Build-the-Fire is able to bring Victor the truth, but their relationship has to go back to normal when they return, as “Victor knew that he couldn’t really be friends with Thomas, even after all that had happened. It was cruel but it was real” (74). Here it is hinted that Victor will also be estranged from the community if he is identified with Thomas, something he does not want to happen. However, a slight change could be seen here since Victor agrees to listen to one of Thomas’s stories back at the reservation. This implies that Thomas has been able to change their relationship slightly, and the truth he brings has had an impact on Victor.
Thomas Builds-the-Fire has been estranged from the community because he represents the old ways of the Indian community. He feels close to nature, believes in magic, and bases his life on telling stories. In addition, Thomas is the only character in the novel who has a typically Indian name, “Builds-the-Fire”, and the others are referred to by American names. The people in the present community want to reject these ways and want to be part of the assimilation which has completely changed the ways in which the majority of the Indians at the reservation think. Thomas also represents the truth, as he is able to tell the future which is often harsh, and people want to hide from this. There is also a hint at jealousy, as is shown by the incidence in which Thomas can fly but the other young boys cannot.
Sherman Alexie’s stories help “change the world” by portraying realistic and imaginative ideas that surround the Spokane Indian reservation. This switch from memory to fantasy provides the reader with a glimpse of Indian story telling. Since the Native Americans have suffered numerous hardships due to the expansion of America, they hold many ideas about American culture and the government. Thomas discuses how his father never fought in the war because he believed that his country has been “trying to kill Indians since the very beginning. Indians are pretty much born soldiers anyway. Don’t need uniform to prove it” (Alexie 29). The characters in Alexie’s novel experience humiliation and deal with their view of the government, which has taken so many of their opportunities away from them. There is an obvious culture difference from the old traditions of the Indian community and the new ways that are being embraced. After their trip Victor realizes that “Thomas would remain the crazy story- teller who talked to dogs and cars, who listened to the wind and pine trees. Victor knew he couldn’t really be friends with Thomas, even after all that had happened” (Alexie 74). Victor is not going to treat Thomas with more respect after this trip; instead he is going to behave the same way as everyone else. “Victor was ashamed of himself,” (Alexie 74) because he is not rising above the community. Thomas’ character helps the reader understand the Indian community through his integration of story telling, which coincide with real life issues. Thomas is estranged from the community because he embraces the old ways of the Indian community, whereas everyone else has moved on and looks at the old traditions as silly and eccentric. The community rejects everything that Thomas is because he symbolizes their old way of thinking.
ReplyDeleteAlexie’s stories help to “change the world.” Through his short stories he shows the details and actual lives of the Indians living on the reservations. He gives portrayals of real lives of the Indians and does not just play into the many stereotypes that people hold of the Indians. He also shows the trouble that the Indians have in assimilating within society while living on the reservation. Victor and Thomas Builds-the-Fire’s relationship changes along their trip to Phoenix, Arizona. Victor is reminded of the childhood days that he had spent with Thomas. They were cousins; however, grew apart as the years passed and Thomas began telling his “stories.” Victor also feels connected to Thomas when Thomas tells him about the time that he went to Spokane to “stand by the Falls in the middle of the city and wait for a sign” (69). Victor’s dad helped him by buying him dinner and bringing him home. He then told Thomas to look out for Victor. Thomas helps Victor by bringing him to see his father because Victor’s father had told him that one day Thomas would need help. They return to the relationship that they had when they were younger. This is evident by the way that Victor actually listens to Thomas without judging him. At the reservation, Victor treated Thomas the way that everyone else did. “Thomas told his stories to all those who would stop and listen. He kept telling them long after people had stopped listening” (73). When they return to the reservation their relationship returns to how it was before. Victor realized that Thomas would remain the crazy story-teller and knew that he couldn’t really be friends with him, even though this was cruel. He is too afraid of what people would think of him on the reservation if he was friends with Thomas. Victor feels sort of guilty for the fact that he knows he cannot be friends with Thomas because of the “shit his friends will give him” (74). The deal that the cousins make at the end of the trip is that Victor will have to stop just once and listen to a story that Thomas is telling one day. Alexie uses the character of Thomas Builds-the-fire to connect readers to the characters in the stories because he is an outside source who represents the truth and honesty on the reservation. He is not given a first person perspective and therefore the reader does not know exactly what he is thinking, only what other people say about him. He is also the victim of the stares and thoughts of the townspeople and every reader can connect to being the outsider at some point in their life. Thomas has become estranged from the Indian community because the Indian community has changed immensely from their traditional values and roots and Thomas still holds onto these ideals. For example, Thomas still values the stories of his ancestors, nature, helping others, and signs from spirits. Although Thomas is greatly judged by society, he doesn’t care. No one listens to his stories; however, he tells them regardless. The other Indians have tried to assimilate into society in a failing effort. Most of them end up being alcoholics, with broken dreams, and without goals for the rest of their lives. Thomas represents the past and tries to help the Indian community that these values and traditions were much better for them than their new lifestyles. Thomas also has forgiveness for Victor for beating him up mercilessly when he was younger. Thomas is estranged from the Indian community.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Maria’s response that when Victor agrees to listen to one of Thomas’ stories back at the reservation it implies that Thomas has been able to change their relationship slightly and the truth he brings has had an impact on Victor. Victor obviously realizes that he has lost his sense of the true Indian tradition that Thomas still holds. This is shown when he says that even though they have reconnected on the trip to Phoenix, that he cannot treat him differently on the reservation. Victor felt ahead of himself and thinks “Whatever happened to the tribal ties, the sense of community?” (74). Thomas is the only thing on the reservation that holds onto pieces of the past. All of the other Indians attempt to assimilate into the “American” culture; however, do not succeed in a sense. Most end up with broken dreams, raging alcoholics, and no hope for the future. They end up living at home, with their mothers cooking for them, creating problems in the town. Marriages and relationships fail. Thomas, the storyteller, is the only sense of hope for the community and everyone in the town thinks that he is crazy and will not listen to him. He is the outsider who tries to have an impact in the community but knows the members will not listen to him. I do agree with Maria that he has a small impact on Victor though when they are in the car on the way home because he has reconnected his relationship, if only for a short time, and has agreed to listen to one of his stories at some point.
ReplyDeleteAlexie’s stories are able to “change the world” because they allow us to see the world of Indians on the reservation. All of the stories inside of this book seem to be surrounded by a sense of make believe. The stories are able to change the world from a reality to the imaginary because it can make people feel better to think about things that are not real. It is like how Victor’s father always described his mother, saying that the birds and tumbleweeds would follow them around because she was so beautiful. All of these stories are able to take these people away from the harsh realities of being of Indian decent in rough times on the reservation.
ReplyDeleteOn Thomas and Victors trip not many things change. It does not seem like Victor and Thomas have become friends again, however, it is interesting to see that Victor will once again take Thomas’ help without giving much in return. All he has to do is listen to one of Thomas’ stories at some later point. I am not sure much changes between the two at all. Victor still is embarrassed on the plane when Thomas is flirting with the gymnast, and says the only reason that she even talked to them was because they were on a plane and that’s what people do when they are on a plane, they talk.
Alexie uses Thomas to help the reader relate because he is considered an outsider from his Indian community, and that is what the readers are. We are outsiders trying to look in on these people’s lives.
Thomas is estranged from the India community because of his stories. His stories sound like what one would think of as a traditional Indian story. They are weird and seem to come from nowhere at some points. While all of the other Indians are in the process of assimilating and trying to move on from their old ways, it is Thomas who seems to stick with them. He is and always will be the story teller and he is not attempting to be something he is not.
I disagree with the view that the change in the world that is being given by Alexie’s stories is that he is showing the true lives of Indians. The stories themselves seem to go far from reality in my opinion and try to change from the harsh realities into something different. Although there is some sense of the reality, it seems that more often than not the stories being told stretch the reality. The story of one of the basketball players actually flying, or the memories of Victor and his friends seem to change the world from reality to something different.
ReplyDeleteI also disagree that anything really changed during the trip between Thomas and Victor. Although Victor is now putting up with Thomas, it is only because he needed his money in the first place. There are no real acts of kindness from Victor to Thomas other than him apologizing for beating him up for no reason when they were younger. When they get back, it is the same as it always was and Thomas knows that Victor will not become his friend once again. Thomas has always been there for Victor, from helping him escape the wasps to paying for him to get to Phoenix, and all Victor is going to do in return is listen to ONE of Thomas’ stories. It seems to me that Victor is getting off pretty easily for all of the kindness that Thomas has shown him throughout the years.
While most of the Indians on the reservation are living in a constant state of intoxication in order to ignore the realities about being an Indian in a modern society, Thomas “thinks about things too much” (64) and tells stories to remind the other Indians of such harsh actualities. For example, Thomas questions the reasons behind the reservation’s celebration of the 4th of July while others try to ignore that their ancestors had not won their freedom on this date. This honesty is helping to change the world. It is showing the difference between the societal assumptions about reservations and the truths about actual Indians living on a reservation. However, this honesty is also what sets a Thomas apart from the other Indians on the reservation. While the other Indian choose to live in denial of many of their issues and drink their problems away, Thomas chooses to rather shine light on such issues. For example, Thomas talks about the effects of technology and cars on their ancient warrior traditions (63). He points out that this tradition, like many others, has been ruined due to advancements in technology. This fearlessness to tell the truth about modern Indian culture not only makes Thomas different, but it also makes the other Indians on the reservation not want to associate with him. This point is symbolized through Thomas’s brief flight as a child (70). Just as Thomas was hated as a young boy for his courage to jump off the roof, he is hated as an adult for his courage to realizing and telling the truths about being a modern Indian living on a reservation. Thomas is “a dentist in a town full of people with false teeth” (61). Apart from the reservation, Victor is able to befriend and understand many of Thomas’s differences. However, as soon as the men return to the reservation, Victor could not be Thomas’s friend because his friends would tease him too much about it (74). Thomas gives the reader true insight into the realities and hardships of being a modern Indian.
ReplyDeleteAlexie’s stories help to “change the world” by showing the world what it is like to truly be an Indian on a reservation. The honest portrayal of the hardships and tragedies that these people suffer is more than just a fiction story; it’s a way to make their stories known to the world.
ReplyDeleteVictor is reminded of his childhood days when he was friends with Thomas and they played together. Since their adolescent years the other members of the tribe alienated Thomas because of his storytelling. He is a reminder of their past and the old ways, and this is really a reminder of how bad things have gotten for them in the twentieth century. These stories draw us in and give us a more personal view into the lives of these people. When Thomas and Victor make the trip to Phoenix Victor is reminded of all that he has done to Thomas without reason. Beating him up for no other reason than being drunk and ignoring him because it was socially unacceptable are things that Victor realizes he is ashamed of, but can’t easily change. Hearing the story about Thomas and his father, Victor realizes that there was much more to both of them than he had thought and this knowledge allows him to better understand them both for the people they were. Although they both acknowledge that they can never be friends on the reservation, Victor will never feel the same anger and embarrassment he felt for Thomas before.
Alexie’s stories help to change the world because they tell the untold story of many Native Americans. These stories are important to Native Americans because as a population they have been largely ignored. By telling stories about how difficult their lives are, Alexie is making people understand their lives and their culture. In these stories readers see love, hate, pain, frustration and hopelessness. By generating these emotions in readers Alexie is helping to change the world for Native Americans by drawing attention to their situation.
ReplyDeleteOn their trip to Arizona Victor remembers about his childhood growing up with Thomas and how they used to be best friends. These memories are some of the only good ones Victor seems to have, so on the trip he sees Thomas like he used to. I think he also sees the good in Thomas. Thomas helps him pay to get down there and Thomas also knew Victors father and had his own memories of him. Since Thomas is connected in a way to Victor’s father, I think it helps Victor relate more to Thomas. Despite having a good trip, both men realized that once back on the reservation things will return to normal because the reservation is an unchanging place, their friendship cannot be rekindled there.
Thomas helps readers relate to characters in the novel because he is not as easy to understand at first description. He is clearly different from others on the reservation, he is in tune with nature and himself and he is more mystical and magical. He also doesn’t drink and he is more insightful and in-line with the older ways of Native American living. Because he is different he is intriguing to readers, people want to keep reading and learn about him. He also adds special insights on situations which allows readers to understand why characters act the way they do sometimes. An example is that Victor beats up Thomas, at first glance it seems that this is because the boys were young and Victor was drunk, but what Thomas implies later is that it is because Victor has had a hard life full of frustration and sadness, and he probably let out all of this anger on Thomas. Thomas is thus and interesting character that is able to add valuable insights because he is so estranged from the community in the book.
Alexie’s stories “change the world” by letting the reader become more involved in the Indian culture that many Americans are ignorant to. Also many of the stories have a small message that the reader can latch onto and can inspire them even the smallest bit to live their life a different way.
ReplyDeleteIn the Phoenix story, the strained relationship between Thomas and Victor is shown. Thomas was a nut who the reservation shunned after he told too many stories and Victor was a worn out basketball jock. Their lives rarely crossed in adulthood but when they were children they were very close friends. Victor lets us into their childhood relationship by seeing the many instances where the two boys were closest. Some of these events were when Victor steps into a wasp hole, another when Thomas flies in the air and breaks his wing. These close friends are torn apart by the rules of society, even resulting in a fight in their middle or high school years. Everyone experiences friendships like these in their lives , the ones that don’t last because outside forces rip them apart.
This early friendship makes for an interesting encounter when Victor’s father dies. When the two men have to go down to Phoenix to cremate Victor’s father and collect his valuables, Thomas tells another one of his stories, but this time it was different. Thomas told of the time when Victor’s father helped him get back to the reservation from Spokane, and the only payment he wanted in return was to help Victor in his time of need, and that opportunity arose when they had to go to Phoenix. The two men connected in that story, and is the main reason why Victor gives Thomas the remains in the cardboard box and agrees to listen to a story.
Thomas Builds-the-Fire helps readers relate to the characters in the story because he is the typical reject. He is the town nerd that nobody wants to come in contact with. With all of his stories that he repeats to everyone even if they are not listening help him gain the title of social outcast. There is one in every town. There is nothing wrong with being this person; it is just that their actions do not correlate with those of the other members of the community.
The stories told by Sherman Alexie in his book The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven help to “change the world” because they tell the truth about the struggle surrounding a largely unrecognized minority community. These stories, filled with alcoholism, divorce, crushed dreams and hopelessness provide a startling insight into the plight of the Indian people who reside both on and off of plantations all across America. By giving a voice to these people through his stories, Alexie does what he can to bring their struggle to light in a society which has taken advantage of and discriminated against them for years and years.
ReplyDeleteDuring the trip taken by Victor and Thomas to Arizona, Victor is able to reconnect with his childhood friend while away from all of the troubles surrounding them on the reservation. He finds a new-found respect for Thomas, someone who has experienced just as many personal tragedies as Victor has, but who is still very compassionate and helpful towards those who need it. Finally, Victor understands that Thomas’ stories are the tools that he uses in an effort to connect to his community from which he has been disconnected for so long. Because Thomas is such an outsider – he doesn’t drink, he saves his money and he still clings to some Indian tradition and hope – it is easy for Alexie’s readers, outsiders in their own right, to relate to him and his point of view.
I agree with Colin that the stories aren’t showing the true lives of Indians and that they are often told to stretch reality. However, I do think that Alexie’s stories help to change the world by offering a double reality. The stories while fantastical, like any good story also have elements of truth. I believe the parts of the story that stretch reality do so to reflect the desire to gloss over inequalities and not deal with reality. However these stretched truths do not form the whole story. For example the story of the basketball player flying is not entirely likely, however the story as a whole serves to reveal a trend in the Indian community. This trend is that they tend to perpetually put hope in the next generation for escaping the reservation (53). The fantastical elements of the stories also serve to show how memory is often altered to cover up the things one doesn’t want to remember (27). This double reality, part truth and part fantasy, does generate attention the lives of Indian’s in general, and in this way, change the world.
ReplyDeleteThe one thing that changes between Thomas and Victor is that Victor accepts Thomas. He acknowledges the value of Victor (74). He acknowledges the merit in his continuing to tell stories even when nobody listened anymore (73). He realizes there is truth in every story Thomas told (63).
Alexie uses Thomas Builds-the-Fire to help readers relate to the characters in the stories because he embodies the rejected/outsider experience, like Jessica and Chris said. He is estranged because he tells stories that nobody wants to listen to (62). He’s outcast because he sees reality differently, but believes his version of reality is real (20). While his experiences are unique to him, the common feeling of being an outsider makes his story easily relatable. It is easy to understand what is like to be an outsider; it’s not as easy to understand what it is like to be an Indian at the brink of the twenty-first century. It is easier to understand his experience as an Indian because of his experience as an outsider.
I meant to say... He(Victor) acknowledges the value of Thomas, not himself.
ReplyDeleteAlso I'd like to add that I think their public relationship itself doesn't change (74). However their private relationship changes because Victor’s view of Thomas changes (69, 74). The story about Victor's father taking Thomas to Denny's helped Victor confirm his belief that his father was not a detestable person; that he was not just a drunk (69). He now sees Thomas not as a nuisance but a caring person (69, 72).
I disagree with Sarah that they were ever best friends. Rather I think the flashbacks reveal that Victor is acknowledging how their lives were always intertwined. I do concede that they were friends when they were little, before Victor joined the other Indians in conceding the possibility of changing their situations (35-36). All the other Indians have this sort of who cares attitude. They don’t want to be bothered to consider why Thomas’ stories are always the same: the problem is always the same. The Indians don’t do anything to change the cycle, but just desire a glorified past (62, 63). Alexie places stories told from Victor’s past up until his father’s death before their trip to magnify how Victor finally sees the reality in what Thomas was saying (62). It’s as if before he did not want to “think about things too much” and disliked Thomas for doing so (63). However now, he has thought about things, and is willing to listen, even if it is just once (62, 75).
Thomas’s stories help “change the world” because they help the characters, such as Thomas, realize the truths that have been forgotten by this Indian community. I agree with Kelly when she explains that the Indian community uses alcohol to “ignore the realities” of being an Indian in modern society. Like Kelly, I also believe that Thomas’s stories are a representation of the harsh realities these Indians faced. An example of one of Thomas’s honest stories is the one he tells about Victor’s father before he dies. “Your father’s heart is weak. He is afraid of his own family. He is afraid of you…Sometimes he feels like he wants to buy a motorcycle and ride away. He wants to run and hide. He doesn’t want to be found (61).” This story not only implies Thomas’s ability to understand people and reality, it also portrays him as someone who can predict the future. In this sense, Thomas may be seen as a mythical character in this book. When Junior asks Victor why Thomas is so crazy, and whether or not Thomas was dropped on his head or magical, Victor replies by saying, “I think he got dropped on his head and I think he’s magic (20).” Although many people on the reservation think that Thomas is crazy and strange, he is smarter than most of the people living on the reservation because he understands reality and truth. However, his intelligence is unnoticed for it is foreshadowed by his inability to efficiently communicate with people. Instead Thomas communicates by telling stories because, “They are all I have. It’s all I can do (73).” Since Thomas has no family, he believes that his sole purpose in life is to tell his stories in order to “change the world.” The relationship between Victor and Thomas changes on their drive to Pheonix because through this conversation, Victor is finally able to realize why Thomas tells these stories. Not only does he understand why he tells these stories but he also realizes that Thomas took him on this trip because of the encounter Thomas had with Victor’s father. When Victor’s father finds Thomas alone and stranded he takes him to Denny’s and asks him one favor, which is to watch over his son. Thomas exclaims to Victor, “Your father said you would need the help. He was right (70).” It is at this point that we see how Thomas’s stories are used to help others. The only thing Thomas asks in return for his stories is that people “listen.” Victor grants him this wish after they end their trip.
ReplyDeleteAlthough Colin brings up a valid point in that Thomas’s stories are not always completely realistic, I disagree that the stories are meant to ignore the harsh realities the Indians must face on a daily basis. Rather, I feel that these stories are meant to shed light on such situations. Thomas’s stories bring up many points that the other Indians on the reservation would rather not think about (63). Although these stories may be comical and sometimes unrealistic, they are a way of bringing up many topics the other Indians on the reservation choose to ignore.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with many of the previous posts that not only does Thomas introduce many of the hardships about being a modern Indian through his stories, but that he also is continuing on the traditional Indian culture through telling his stories. Although the reservation as a whole seems to be desperately trying to assimilate to the new culture forced upon them, Thomas and his stories represent part of the old Indian culture that is slowly being lost with each generation.
I understand the point that Colin is making about the stories lacking a sense of truth. However, I think the stories that are being told here are a lot like those in Bulosan’s novel, where the stories are exaggerated to the point where it becomes obvious to the reader that they are not supposed to show the real truth, but rather, the hardships of a people. Through exaggeration, these stories are given a sense of importance and the intense emotion that the stories bring up can really be felt by the reader. The underlying message of the stories tell the truth, and Thomas has a “storytelling fetish accompanied by an extreme need to tell the truth” (93) in a way that will impact listeners. The Indian people are experiencing this struggle because they are stuck between two cultures, and find it difficult to balance old traditions while assimilating into the American ones, as shown by, “At the halfway point of any drunken night, there is a moment when an Indian realizes he cannot turn back toward tradition and that he has no map to guide him toward the future” (134). This shows how the Indian people are lost, and this is the truth that Alexie tries to show through his exaggerated stories.
ReplyDeleteI also do not agree with Colin that no change has occurred between Victor and Thomas. Although I do not think that that much has changed between Victor and Thomas in terms of their relationship or how they will act towards each other, I think Victor’s view of Thomas and his stories has changed. Victor says that the only reason things will go back to normal is that the others at the reservation will not accept him if he is friends with Thomas. Victor does not mention anything about being annoyed by Thomas’ stories any more. The story Thomas told about Victor’s father has helped Victor feel closer to his father, and he realizes that Thomas’ stories have a truth to them, even if they may sometimes seem exaggerated or ridiculous. Through this, Alexie shows that it is not the relationship between Victor and Thomas that is important, but rather, the effect Thomas’ stories have on Victor.
I thought that Anna’s point about Alexie using Thomas as a removed source was really interesting Anna says that readers connect to him because “he is an outside source who represents the truth and honesty on the reservation. He is not given a first person perspective and therefore the reader does not know exactly what he is thinking, only what other people say about him.” I had not considered this but I do think it’s important that Thomas is an estranged character, he has a different perspective on things, and his views which are deemed by others on the reservation as old fashioned, are refreshing and add a new insight for readers. Without Thomas all we would see on the reservation is drunkenness, sadness and abuse.
ReplyDeleteI also like Kelly’s point about how Thomas “thinks too much.” I think this ties in with the fact that he is so different from everyone else. He focuses more on his stories and the past to keep himself from falling into the trap of alcoholism. He provides a new way of looking at stories because he shows readers the past behind the reservation; he shows us why the alcoholism exists. It is a way to mask the pain and isolation that these people feel.
Kelly's point that "Thomas gives the reader true insight into the realities and hardships of being a modern Indian," to me, is an interesting note. Although Thomas is supposed to represent the dwindling strength of tradition in its importance to the Indian community, his stories, especially in his trial, also demonstrate the struggle that Indian people go through as they are excluded by the community around them. People are actually listening to Thomas, and acting emotionally as he testifies in court. Perhaps it's because Thomas, in a way, is representing something that is long gone in the court and can almost never be brought back.
ReplyDeleteColin originally brought up the point that Thomas' stories lack a sense of reality and many people here have written their own thoughts about the reason why Alexie chooses this format. My personal opinion is to view the state of mind Alexie was in when he wrote the stories himself. Intoxicated that he may be, it's doubtless that a lot of the experiences in the story not just by Thomas involve things that Alexie has seen around him. Like Maria said, it's very similar to Bulosan's narrative, but at the same time it's not ridiculously stretched, but written in a manner that conveys mystery and a hidden layer of despair. Perhaps it's the effect of his writing prose that serve to highlight the Indian reality, rather than the specific content of the stories.
I agree with Jessica’s reasoning behind why the reader feels a connection with Thomas, he is different from the others portrayed in the stories. Thomas really is the only one we have seen so far who isn’t a drunk and is trying to make his life better. While all of the others have accepted their lives on the reservation and given in to a life of poverty, alcohol, and drugs, Thomas is the character who inspires hope for the reader. In most of these stories we are appalled at the lives these Indians lead and the tragedies they suffer, but whenever Thomas enters the story we are given a view of the one person who is able to remain sober and work to save money. Later in the book we see that Thomas’ father and grandfather were very similar to him; Indians trying hard to embrace their cultural traditions of old, rather than accepting what seem to have become their new cultural traditions. Because the stories seem to focus primarily on Victor and Thomas, we are given two characters to hope for. We hope that Thomas is able to resist and withstand the pressures and torments that life on the reservation bestow upon him, and we also hope that even though Victor has succumbed to these pressures, he is able to rise above them and do what he seems to know is the right thing to do.
ReplyDeleteI disagree with what Colin said that Thomas and Victor's relationship did not change in the story. I thought that the story that Thomas told really hit Victor hard and made him think. Victor realized that Thomas may have some trouble socializing with the rest of the reservation, but he also means everything he says. Every one of the stories Thomas tells proves a point, and Victor realized when Thomas tells the story about his father. Both Thomas and Victor become close with the connection of Victor's father. With this connection, I feel that Victor will never look at Thomas in the same way, I know for sure that he will never make fun of his stories again.
ReplyDeleteAlexi’s stories help change the world because with them he is able to create a world free of the hardships and trauma that exist in the present Indian reservation culture. His stories help to explain what the tribe cannot understand and allow them to rationalize things that are beyond their control. An example of this is when Samuel explains why the white man is so awful towards the Indian populations,
ReplyDelete“He [Coyote] looked around and around for somewhere to throw away his clippings. But he couldn’t find anywhere and he got mad. He started jumping up and down because he got so mad Then he accidentally dropped the toenail clipping over the side of the cloud and they fell to the earth. The clippings burrowed into the ground like seeds and grew up to be the white man. Coyote, he looked down at his newest creation and said, Oh shit” (135).
Stories like these are able to change the world because the influence how the Indians look at their world and their present status, and helps them respond to their situations.
Though by the end of Thomas and Victor’s trip they both realize that they will not be “buddy buddy” in public, they have gained a mutual respect for each other and a sense of something real. After expressing his shame over his realization that the old Indian tradition of “tribal ties” is absent in him and that all he cares about is how his friends perceive him, Victor thinks, “The only thing he shared with anybody was a bottle and broken dreams. He owed Thomas something, anything” (74). Though Victor may not have made a complete 360 turn-around after the trip, he is at least aware now how Thomas is his only true friend whether he will publically admit it or not.
Alexie uses Thomas Builds-the-Fire to draw readers in to his anecdotes. The stories that Thomas tells are entertaining and multi-layered, causing the reader to more deeply analyze the text while still having the book be an enjoyable experience. Though Thomas is a full-blooded Indian like the others, he is estranged because his values and lifestyle are still of the traditional Indian culture while the rest of the inhabitants of the reservation have become partially assimilated to the “white man’s way of life.”
I agree with Casey's post that the stories are able to change the world because they are a way of carrying on the history and events of the population so that they will not be forgotten in the sea of alcohol that is consuming the entire reservation. Though I don't believe that Thomas is a magical character, I do believe that he has a special gift for storytelling that was once a common art in tribal culture that is quickly dying out. Also, I believe that the reason that he is so dedicated to his story telling is that he by telling stories about others, he is able to create relationships with them in his mind. Like he said, storytelling is the only thing he has and he is not very accepted in his culture, so by creating stories, he is able to create relationships and friendships that can exist despite his alienation.
ReplyDeleteAlexie’s stories help to “change the world” through their depiction of daily life on the reservation. Alexie shows that living on a reservation is similar to living in any ethinically homogenous, low-income neighborhood in America. The stories tell of a people’s struggle with finding the identity their place in society. They still tend to be viewed as outsiders in American culture, where they still tend to be profiled as same the type of Indians found in cowboy movies.
ReplyDeleteIt is obvious that Thomas and Victor become closer on the trip. They are given the opportunity to reminisce on older times when they spent more time together. It becomes apparent that they share a connection with each other, and are not far from brotherhood. Though Victor regards Thomas as an annoyance for most of the trip, he eventually realizes that he enjoys Thomas’s company. From being in such close proximity to Thomas due to the trip, Victor learns that Thomas actually has a purpose to his stories. He often uses them to as a metaphorical means to deconstruct moral or intellectual dilemmas. Victor realizes that Thomas’s habit of storytelling gives him identity and helps to define him as an Indian.
The reader can relate to Thomas because he cannot assimilate into the culture in which he lives. He is not taken seriously by the other Indians, who see his traditionalist tendencies, including storytelling, as embarrassing. Thomas is one of the few characters who allows himself to be vulnerable, who is unafraid to express his personality. As a reader, it is possible to identify with Thomas, as his consistently pure intentions and sincerity make him a likeable character. He seems to be one of the only Indians in the community who is comfortable being an Indian, without any sort of preconceived notion of how that identity should dictate his actions.
I agree with Kelly’s assessment of the importance of Thomas’s stories. His stories are intended to challenge the harsh reality of everyday life on the reservation. Thomas’s stories give small events metaphorical significance. Like numerous successful storytellers before him, he seeks to impart lessons through his words. He is not taken seriously by his peers because his stories are often comical and seemingly inapplicable to their lives. It is interesting how Victor comes to understand the truth to the things Thomas says. Victor represents the majority of modern Indians who have lost touch with their roots and it is appropriate that he rediscover his identity through storytelling, perhaps the most hallowed ritual of Indian tradition. Through the example of Thomas and the enlightenment of Victor, Alexie imparts a plea to preserve the fundamental components of Indian culture.
ReplyDeleteI disagree with Colin's assertion that the stories told by Alexie are an unrealistic portrayal of the Indian experience. Sure, they may have been slightly exaggerated at some points, but I feel that they give a very honest description of the poverty, hopelessness, and lack of education experienced by the one of the most discriminated against and disenfranchised minorities in American history. I do somewhat agree, however, with his statement that nothing really changed between Victor and Thomas on the road trip to Arizona. Thomas has put up with a lot from Victor, and in the end there is no real apology made by him to Thomas; instead he half-heartedly agrees to listen to one of Thomas' stories sometimes. This ambiguous pledge characterizes their relationship, and shows that nothing has changed between them.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Sarah when she states that Sherman Alexie is using these stories as a means to generate emotions in the American people and encourage them to realize the poverty that Native Americans are experiencing. Thomas is seen as sort of a savior for Victor. Thomas connects with Victor over the good memories of Victor’s father and through the stories he tells, Victor is able to remember how his father was not a terrible man that abandoned his family. Sarah makes a valid point when the two boys return to the reservation and they realize that nothing will change because the reservation is unchangeable. The reservation has not been able to embrace the old ways of the Native Americans, therefore emphasizing how everyone ostracizes Thomas. Thomas fully embodies the old traditions of Native Americans as he is in tune with nature, he does not drink, and he believes in mystical powers. This allows the reader to witness the transformation of the Indian culture and how they have become westernized due to the negative influences of Americans.
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