An enthralling short story by Sherman Alexie, “This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona” is rich in symbolism. Much of its appeal lies in its enigmatic usage of symbols. Shermans tale of death and renewal relies on three key symbols: the Phoenix (a type of mythical bird which is found in the title), the number seven, and in the name of the protagonists story-telling friend, Thomas Builds-the-Fire.
First, the title contains a reference to the phoenix, a mythical bird that, according to Native American lore, was consumed by a sacred fire, and resurrected itself from its ashes. Victor, the protagonist, has his deceased father cremated after his untimely death. The story unfolds as Victor and Thomas travel to Phoenix to retrieve the ashes of Victors father. After they arrive in Phoenix, Victor, and his friend Thomas, retrieve two large boxes of ashes. Within the storys context, the ashes symbolize transformation, especially the…
His gift of story-telling has the destructive, yet transformative power of fire. His stories are “built” out of “fire”“. As one of the “four elements”, fire is used to cremate Victors deceased father. Victors gifts of story-telling and prophecy are ways of building a fire that, ultimately, leads to a spiritual resurrection of what was, at some point, only ashes. Thus, the story connotes that story-telling is closely allied to prophecy — especially in the case of Thomas Builds-the-Fire. Throughout the story, Thomas “builds” a fire that, symbolically, consumes the body, allowing the spirit to resurrect after death and transformation. Thomas Builds-the-Fire can be recognized as a Native American shaman. Unfortunately, the rest of the tribe does not associate much with Thomas, because of his “strange”, story-telling behavior. His gift of prophecy is not only unappreciated, but it goes completely…
