In "This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona," how does author Sherman Alexie use the character of Thomas to convey one of the story's themes? The stories that Thomas tells and his desire to be listened to allow Alexie to show that telling and listening to stories is an important way people shape and understand their lives. The mistreatment that Thomas endures on the reservation lets Alexie suggest that storytelling is a dangerous practice that should be avoided when possible. By depicting Thomas as less intelligent than Victor, Alexie shows that even the best storytellers do not always understand the full meaning of the tales they tell. By showing that Thomas does not have a job or a family, Alexie demonstrates that people who spend their time wrapped up in stories are likely to be unprepared for the struggles of real life.

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Gillian Vega

18 September, 04:05

In "This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona," how does author Sherman Alexie use the character of Thomas to convey one of the story's themes? The stories that Thomas tells and his desire to be listened to allow Alexie to show that telling and listening to stories is an important way people shape and understand their lives. The mistreatment that Thomas endures on the reservation lets Alexie suggest that storytelling is a dangerous practice that should be avoided when possible. By depicting Thomas as less intelligent than Victor, Alexie shows that even the best storytellers do not always understand the full meaning of the tales they tell. By showing that Thomas does not have a job or a family, Alexie demonstrates that people who spend their time wrapped up in stories are likely to be unprepared for the struggles of real life.

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Daugherty · Answer 1

The appropriate response is the third one. Thomas is maybe Alexie's most convincing character as far as being profoundly tucked away inside his tribal conventions yet as yet eager and ready to study those customs and well-spoken different incongruities. As Thomas welcomes Victor at the tribal exchanging post and communicates sympathies for his misfortune, Victor solicits how Thomas gained from Victor's dad's passing. Thomas, the tribal storyteller, says: "I heard it on the breeze. I heard it from the fowls. I felt it in the daylight. Additionally, your mom was only in here crying." Thomas proceeds all through the story as both a symbol of conventional practice and an unexpected observer on it.