"Thomas Builds-the-Fire Closed His Eyes and Told This Story..."

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Alternative title for “This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona”
“Thomas Builds-the-Fire closed his eyes and told this story…”
When we first read this story, I really liked the title that Sherman Alexie gave it and thought it fit well with the style of the story. The original title doesn’t sound like a traditional short story title, but I think it fits the story that also isn’t very traditional and feels a bit off balance. While the original title did a good job of conveying the general mood of the story, it didn’t in my opinion have a whole lot to do with the content of the story. While the majority of the story relates in some way to the two boys’ trip to Phoenix, that doesn’t seem like the main idea of the story, and I think a title that is pulled directly out of the text and summarizes a big part of the relationship between the two boys would be good for this story. I think the story needs a title that keeps up with this theme throughout the whole story of the confusing and somewhat hectic relationship between Victor and Thomas.
The phrase that I chose as a new title for this story is from the scene where Victor and Thomas are in outside the trailer in Phoenix, Arizona, and Victor asks Thomas what her remembers about Victor’s dad. Thomas Builds-the-Fire then tells the story that pulls together the entire narrative of their relationship and explains why they are both in Arizona together. This is a very powerful moment in the story, and a tipping point in their relationship because Victor finally listens to Thomas tell one of his stories. I chose this title because I think it represents the character of the entire story and comes from a place in the story that is very important.

Comments

  1. UnknownApril 29, 2020 at 12:12 PM

    I've never totally known what to do with the title "This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona." I find the title memorable, but I agree that it feels like a bit of an odd fit for the story. (As I noted on Charlie's blog, I'm also always a little bothered by the stand-alone "this," which doesn't have a clear referent.) Your choice of a new title is interesting, and does bring together the various references throughout the story to Thomas-Builds-the-Fire telling stories (which start the same way, with Thomas closing his eyes). Your title would also seem to set up the story itself as one of Thomas's stories, which would add an interesting meta element to the text, as well. -Ms. O'Brien

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