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Comparison and contrast of What It Means To Say Phoenix, Arizona

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Comparison and contrast of What It Means To Say Phoenix, Arizona
Comparison and Contrast Essay

Two stories written by two different writers can share similar but very different aspects of life. Sherman alexie wrote the story What It Means To Say Phoenix, Arizona which was about two natives on a road trip to retrieve one of their fathers ashes and bonded during the trip. Louse Erdrich also wrote a story about two natives who took a road trip to bond named The Red Convertible.
In both stories two natives lived on a preservation as kids. A key difference in stories was that Victor who was the main character from This Is What It Means To Say Phoenix, Arizona was broke along with most individuals on his reservation. So when the time came for him to have to retrieve his father he was unable to do so alone. The two characters from The Red Convertible Were not tied down as much due to financial instability. They shared a red Oldsmobile together and took trips for fun instead of turmoil induced reasons.
Now in both stories the boys took trips and bonded through experiences. Victor and Thomas are sort of forced to bond due to the situation. Thomas lent Victor the money to head to Arizona only if he was able to go. When they were kids they used to hang out a lot until Thomas and Victor got into a fist fight and drifted from there. Throughout the trip the boy share stories and open up to one and other they become friends. In the other story The Red Convertible two siblings also take a road trip not out for turmoil based reasons but because they enjoyed each other’s company. In both stories the boys bonded but both had two very different endings.
The Red Convertible ended with one of the brothers drowning in a way that makes the reader think to whether or not it was suicide because his life sucked and he didn’t have the balls to shoot up a school or an accident because the character was struggling with past events that he couldn’t overcome. In What It Means To Say Phoenix, Arizona the story ended with Victor telling Thomas that he did enjoy his company but things were going to go back to the way they were before and they wouldn’t Speak.
These stories were very similar in the way that both writers took individuals off a reservation and bonded them through a road trip. Two distinct differences in these stories were in one a main character dies at the end and another is simply let go due to pettiness of not wanting to be associated with. Though these authors might not have known each other there stories were quite close and showed different aspects of life on a preservation.

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