Poverty is a key theme in “This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona.” The story begins on a reservation, where there is little indication that anyone has any sort of wealth or financial stability. Victor cannot travel to reclaim his father’s ashes and assets without airfare, but as he has just lost his job, he has no prospects in terms of personal income. Victor must therefore seek help from the Tribal Council, which is likewise having “a difficult time financially” (318). When the council suggests that he find someone to lend him the money, Victor’s response further underscores the ubiquity of poverty on the reservation: “You know there ain’t nobody around with that kind of money” (318). Even Thomas, who offers to help Victor by buying them plane tickets to Arizona, does not have enough money saved for a round trip: The two men instead plan to drive back in the pickup truck Victor is to inherit, relying on his father’s small bank account for the trip back.

The emphasis on poverty is in part a reflection of Indigenous reality, especially on reservations, the economies of which (like the reservations themselves) are both separate from yet intertwined with the broader US.