First, for those of you who noticed I apologize for not announcing anything about the literary theory presentations. I've changed the schedule to start the series on Wednesday, so the first group has an extra day to prepare.
As for the discussion of "This Is What it Mean...," please comment on the influence of the reservation on Victor and Thomas. Be as specific as possible with textual evidence.
14 comments:
Reservation life has influenced Thomas because he is a stereotypical Indian. Thomas is known for being a storyteller, which is what he enjoys. Also when Thomas tells his stories it seems that Thomas always has a moral or wisdom to bring from the story. When Thomas was talking to the gymnast on the plane he made a comment about how the government also screwed over the Indians. This shows that Thomas shares a negative view toward the government, which most Indians do. He blames his poor life on how the government has treated Indians. The author also describes Thomas as having broken teeth and braids. The reservation life has influenced Victor because Victor is very reserved. When the two of them were on the plane he was not planning on talking to the gymnast because he just minds his own buisness. The reservation is like a community and everyone wants to be accepted. This is why Victor can't be friends with Thomas. Victor knows that if he is friends with Thomas the town will think he is also crazy because he associates with Thomas.
As we know the reservation has effected Victor and Thomas in two completely different ways. Thomas is what some call a stereotypical Indian but he questions some of their traditions at the same time. "it's strange how us Indians celebrate the Fourth of July. It ain't like it was our independence everybody was fighting for." Thomas has money, something that also breaks this stereotype. Thomas growing up on the reservation makes him question things that aren't associated with being Indian, it makes Thomas do things that seem foreign to even his Indian community.
Victor on the other hand has grown accustomed not so much to growing up on the reservation but I would say he's grown accustomed to his way of life.Everyone at the reservation has grown accustomed, and that's what Victor is saying when he say no one at the reservation will believe that Thomas talked to the gymnast because everyone at the reservation is in the same mind set. No one talks to Thomas (who isn't ordinary) so when they go to Phoenix we see how much more equipped Thomas is for life outside of the reservation than Victor.
The life on the reservation influences both Thomas & Victor in a variety of way. For example Victor's overall mind-set being a native descendant of the reservation kind of buys into the stereotype of a "native" American. For Example; in the beginning of the story he begins to grieve about his financial issues.Claiming that," Nobody has any money unless they are in the cigarette or firework industry." This in a way, helps me implicate that the reservation poverty influence is on that he accepts and lives with. However on the other hand , whereas Victor is more of a modernize native, Thomas indulges in the stereo-typical persona of that of a Indian, spoken in a traditional sense. Throughout the story he constantly adds his two cents with "words of the wise." Along with stories regarding the setting of the story line. In a way the reservation has influence him by his own ideal views and persona on life and the outside world.
I think that reservation life has caused Victor to become very reserved in that he is afraid to talk to people that aren't of Native American descent. This is evident on the airplane ride when Thomas becomes interested in the gymnast's awkward stretching. Victor is quick in his attempt to cease Thomas' interest in the gymnast when Thomas explains to Victor that he must ask her what she is up to. Although the author does not provide textual evidence, I think one can infer that Victor does not feel that he has the right to talk to the white woman because he is from a reservation. He has grown up around people of his own kind for all of his life.
Thomas, on the other hand, has definitely been influenced by traditional Native American Indian culture due to living on a reservation. Surrounded by tradition, he has made an extra effort to preserve his ancestors past through his vivid story telling. It is unfortunate that Victor has succumbed to the stereotypes and associations that people put on Native American culture because it really affects the way he acts outside reservation life.
Life on the reservation has made both Victor and Thomas unaware of what there is outside of the reservation. It is a big deal for them to get on a plane and go to Phoenix. Even getting enough money to buy a plane ticket was really difficult for Victor because they aren't used to needing money on the reservation. Victor seems to want more for himself than to live on the reservation. He seems somewhat bitter, but that may also be because of his dad's death. Thomas seems more traditional, in the sense that he braids his hair and tells all of those stories. But when they are on the airplane Thomas shows some resentment when he talks about how the government screwed over the Indians. Overall, I think that they both know that there is more to life than just the reservation and it is refreshing for them to take the trip to Phoenix.
Growing up on a reservation has affected Victor by sheilding him from the 'real' word. He is unable to live freely, and for himself. His life was boring, he just lost his job, and never mentioned a wife, or children. The story also never mentioned any hobbies, or interests of Victor. He also got drunk one night, and beat up the only friend he ever had. As far as we know, his job was all he had. This shows his inability to comunicate well with others, causing him to shy away from the public.
Thomas on the other hand benefited from reservation life. Rather then fear the outside word, and view it as a cold, negitive place, he tries to make the best of it. Thomas is the kind of person who could get along with almost anyone willing to listen to him. He has no problem striking up conversations with random strangers. He is very confident in who he is.
The influence of the reservation had on Victor and Thomas was completely on the contrary. The reservation influences Victor by making him ease the memory of how he grew up. Victor has many conflicts with the way he grew up and people too. For example, when Victor tries to get money from the council who are helpless when giving him the money to go get his inheritance. Victor has no interest of how he grew up and wants to be the total opposite because, of the poverty and drunkenness, that is what the reservation is made up of.
Obviously Thomas, isn't influences in that way. He is a stock character by still living the regular "Indian life". Thomas is more accepting of what their society brings to them. He enjoys to tell stories to anyone who would listen and would have dreams that he interprets into his stories.
Reservation life has influenced Thomas and Victor both but it has in two different ways. Victor is more of a closed person. He keeps to himself and the things and people that he knows. He is very much into being accepted by his friends and seems to follow the crowd. Thomas on the other hand is more open. He doesn't really care what other people think of him whether they are on the reservation or not. He seems to be a deeper person then Victor is.
Reservation life has influenced Thomas to put his time and effort to help Victor go to phoenix no matter the cost. When the two first met, they didn't have much to talk. The longer they were with each other, showed how his dad helped Thomas earlier in his life. The thing that i couldn't believe was that the council only gave him a hundred dollars to get to Arizona and back. The author showed how much Victor appreciated Thomas when he was willing to give money to Victor to fly to Arizona. Even though Thomas and Victor have not been close, Thomas promised Victor's dad to take care of his son.
The reservation plays a large part as to the personalities of both Thomas and Victor.
Thomas values the Indian life and tries to live up the expectations (in certain ways). To talk to the birds, dogs and cats, telling stories over and over to even those who stop listening, wearing long braids and smile with broken teeth.
Victor, has a sense of disconnection to the tribe. He knows what little the tribe can offer him to take care of his fathers belongings and tries to fit in with other.
Ex; on the plane. Victor told Thomas to drop the subject when talking to gymnast, just like any other non-nosy American would do. He is much easier to understand then Thomas because of his awkward(ness) and his attempt to conform to society.
I think that reservation life makes both Thomas and Victor conform to the ways that things work anyway. What I mean by that is this example. I am a Ukrainian who grows up in a village outside the city. We live near the city so many of our products come from there perhaps, but I am still taught in the same way anyone is in the village. Until I leave the village, or have a willingness to leave, I will never understand what city life is about and vice versa. Because Thomas and Victor grew up on the reservation, they follow the same traditions their parents and grandparents followed before them. Take for example Thomas' last name. It's Builds-the-Fire. Even many international students who go to Green River adopt an American name. Thomas' last name is simply tradition carrying itself on. These conforming behaviors create a sort of cage that I believe both Victor and Thomas are used to. The only difference we see is that Thomas is actually willing to carry on a conversation with an "outsider" while Victor thinks he is very weird.
These two men both are affected by growing up on the reservation in very different manners, these differences are even more contrasted when combined with their personalities. It is quite obvious that Thomas doesn't care very much what others think of him, if he did he would have stopped telling stories long ago. In contrast Victor seems to care a lot about what others think about him. He won't talk to Thomas as a result.
As Thomas grows up he knows that he has a job in life, he needs to tell stories and take care of Victor. Whether he realizes the second job before Victor's dad finds him in Spokane or not, i am not sure although i doubt he knew that job. Even though he may not have known about it, he still seemed to fill that role. This is shown especially when he saves Victor from the wasps when they are twelve.
Victor, on the other hand, is a more serious person. On the airplane when Thomas is willing to be outgoing and talk to the lady next to him it embarrasses Victor at first. He can't believe that this nerdy, social-reject is carrying on a conversation with a world-class athlete. I think that more out of jealousy rather than wonder he thinks "Thomas, that crazy Indian story-teller with ratty old braids and broken teeth, was flirting with a beautiful Olympic gymnast. Nobody back home on the reservation would ever believe this." I think that Victor knows that he is too shy and too set in his stubborn ways to branch out into the world that has shunned his people for so many years and that he would be too afraid of this beautiful woman's possible rejection to even try to talk to her. Victor has allowed the very different culture on the reservation to set him in his ways. He has allowed the culture and what those off and on the reservation have said about Indians in general.
Also when the two were just boys, Victor comments that Thomas thinks too much but when they are on their trip later Thomas says the same thing to Victor. I think that the reason Thomas thought too much when they were young was because he was so curious, he wanted to know everything in the world so he pondered things that came to his mind and sometimes did his pondering out loud. When they are older Thomas comments that Victor thinks too much, I think that Victor thinks too much because not only is he scared about what others might say but he also seems to have said this because he was excusing himself because he feels like he should have been braver than this "crazy Indian" and talked to the gymnast first and can't seem to just accept that this other man just beat him to the punch. Also there is the possibility that he thinks highly of himself and is bothered by the fact that not only did another guy beat him to the punch because he was too shy and reserved but the simple fact that it is this crazy old Indian to whom nobody at home pays any attention but this beautiful gymnast is enjoying a conversation with.
These two men have allowed the slightly confining community on the stereotyped reservation to push their personalities further than they might have been pushed if they had grown up off the reservation.
In the Story "This is what it Means to say Pheonix, AZ." living on a reservation has influenced both Thomas and Victors lives. For Thomas he accepts his native american heritage, you see this in the story when the narrator describes thomas and his appearance, he has broken teeth and hair that is in two braids. Thomas is also a story teller and thats how he gets his ideas and oppinons across. Victior is also influenced by reservation life in the sense he lives with the fact that he doesnt have much and the only people on the reservation who are pretty well off are the people who work at the smoke shop and firework stands. Victor also realizes he cant be Thomas's friend when they are on the reservation because thomas is the outcast and the reservation is the community and he needs to be accepted into the community, but if he is friends with Thomas then that can never happen
Post a Comment