In addition to various locations on the reservation, the story's setting includes an airplane, a trailer in Phoenix, and a road through Nevada. What does each of these settings contribute to the story's plot? -The various locations help the reader visualize what is going on perfectly. Through each of these places, things happen that make the story whole. It gets all of the story to come together.
Is the scene on the plane necessary? Intrusive? Distracting? Farfetched? -I do believe the scene on the plane is necessary since it gives a bit of insight on Thomas and Victors relationship, which is demonstrated throughout the story.
How would you characterize the story's mood or atmosphere? How do Thomas's stories help to create this mood? How do they help to establish his character? Do you think the story should have included more of Thomas's stories? -
Why do you suppose Victor and Thomas cannot be friends when they get back to the reservation? Why are they able to be friends when they are traveling to Phoenix?
Do the flashbacks to the two men's childhood add something vital to the story? What purpose does the flashback serve?
In Native American culture, the storyteller holds an important position, telling tales that transmit and preserve the tribe's basic beliefs. Do you think Thomas's stories serve such a function? Or, do you think that he is, as Victor characterizes him, simply "the crazt story-teller who talked to dogs and cars, who listened to the wind and pine trees"
What do you