Can "This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona" even be called a short story?

According to literary critic Brander Matthews, it can't.

If you were to ask Matthews what the definition of a short story was, he would tell you that the short story “shows one action, in one place, on one day” and “deals with a single character, a single event, a single emotion, or the series of emotions called forth by a single situation.” While there are many short stories that fit this strict definition, a notable exception to this rule is Sherman Alexie’s “This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona”. Despite the fact that Alexie’s story is much shorter than traditional novels and would be referred to by many as a “short story”, Matthews would argue that it cannot be classified this way as it not only focuses on two characters, but the relationship of said characters is a result of several events that occurred in the past. However, I would argue that Alexie’s story is in fact a short story and that Matthews’ definition for short stories is far too narrow.

If “This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona” could only show one action or take place on a single day in a single location, it would be next to impossible for Alexie to convey the same message that he originally intended. Not only is the main plot of the story the journey from one place to another to retrieve something important, but the numerous flashbacks throughout the story are crucial in understanding the relationship of Victor and Thomas. A relationship such as this, in which the characters were once friends but have since drifted further and further apart, is impossible to establish in only one place or time. For example, page 4 describes a fight between Victor and Thomas when they were younger. Although they had “long since stopped being friends” at that point, the fight was what truly destroyed their friendship, and is completely necessary to describe the current state of their relationship. To include stories like “This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona” that require multiple scenes and flashbacks to flesh out their main focus, a potential revision to Matthews’ dicta could be that the short story “takes place in a short period of time with a few important events, but can include flashbacks to earlier events when necessary.” While more specific than simply “a story that is short”, this new definition still allows for much more freedom than what Matthews believed should be allowed.

The second part of Matthews’ dicta, which entails that the short story “deals with a single character, a single event, a single emotion, or the series of emotions called forth by a single situation”. Although the presence of the word “or” in this dicta makes it seem that even fulfilling only one of these things is necessary for a short story, the way Alexie’s story is structured makes it impossible to fulfill any of them without the same message being present. The story focuses equally on Victor and Thomas, specifically their connection to each other through the death of Victor’s father. Although Victor does feel a “series of emotions” towards Thomas, these emotions are not called forth by a single situation, but rather a series of events that occurred in the past. “A single event” is the only part of this dicta that could apply to this story, as the main plot is the journey to Phoenix to retrieve the ashes of Victor’s father. However, events such as the scene in the plane on page 5, where Victor is surprised by Thomas’s flirting with an Olympic gymnast, are crucial in establishing the key difference between the two characters. Matthews’ dicta could be revised to “focusing on one or a few characters, and one main event with some smaller side events.”

However, does something as broad as the short story even need any dicta beyond “a story that is short”? With his limitations, Matthews was most likely trying to prevent short story authors from cramming too much into their stories, as many focus on details to flesh out their main points rather than long, complex plots. However, setting limitations also has a negative effect on certain stories, such as “This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona”. Although the story doesn’t have an overly complicated plot, Alexie focuses on the depth of the two main characters and the events that have led to their present situation, and notably includes fewer small details about the environment than other short stories such as “The Fall of the House of Usher” and “The Machine Stops”. Every author has their own unique writing style, and no matter what it is, a truly great author will be able to make their style work. Even though I revised Matthews’ dicta to be much more broad and include a more general group of short stories, anything beyond the most basic definition of a short story will inevitably lead to some being excluded.