This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona

Alexie uses dialogue to illuminate the contrast between Victor’s external attitude and his inner conflict. Beginning with their interaction at the Trading Post and onward throughout the plot, Victor verbalizes his ambivalence toward Thomas. Victor rejects Thomas’s help while surrounded by their peers at the Trading Post, saying it would not be right to accept his money given that they’re “not really friends anymore” (320). However, Victor’s flashbacks reveal that his relationship with Thomas is not so simple. Dialogue also illustrates Victor’s difficulty expressing himself—a symptom of his Loneliness and Self-Isolation. When Victor awkwardly apologizes to Thomas for beating him up, the remark shows that Victor is learning to be less closed off. As the plot moves forward, Victor communicates more easily with Thomas, culminating in their shared humor over and acceptance of the death of the jackrabbit.

Victor and his father are parallel characters: They share similar traits and experiences. Most notably, Victor’s ambivalence toward his cultural identity mirrors the implied ambivalence that led his father to leave the reservation. Victor also shares his tendency to self-isolate with his father, at least according to Thomas: “Your father’s heart is weak. He is afraid of his own family. He is afraid of you. […] He wants to run and hide. He doesn’t want to be found” (319-20). Such parallelism raises the possibility that Victor will end up like his father, who dies alone and alienated from his people.