This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona

“Thomas was a storyteller that no one wanted to listen to. That’s like being a dentist in a town where everyone has false teeth.”

This analogy characterizes Thomas through Victor’s perspective, illustrating Thomas’s role in reservation society: Where storytellers would once have been the center of the tribe, Thomas is marginalized, demonstrating the extent of Indigenous American Alienation from Cultural Identity. It also demonstrates that Victor considers Thomas useless to him—an attitude that will evolve as their journey moves forward.

“‘I can’t take your money,’ Victor said. ‘I mean, I haven’t hardly talked to you in years. We’re not really friends anymore.’”

This dialogue reveals that Victor feels pressure to reject Thomas despite needing his help; his reluctance hints at the guilt he feels about beating Thomas up. It also indicates that Thomas was once Victor’s friend and that things have changed.

“Which Junior? Everyone on this reservation is named Junior.”

This joke is shared between Thomas and Victor as children. It shows the hereditary nature of cultural identity: The fact that the reservation is full of “Juniors” indicates that many aspects of their culture are generational.