The setting of the airplane adds meaning and understanding to the story. During the flight, we get to see the first person-to-person interaction Thomas Builds-the-Fire has with someone other than Victor. This interaction seals the lid on any conjectures we had about Thomas's social skills, maturity level and understanding of his Indian ancestry. Thomas's social skills and maturity are shown greatly when he begins to talk to the beautiful gymnast. Thomas presents himself in a …showed first 75 words of 364 total…

…showed last 75 words of 364 total…the to had took. If one wouldn't recognize that Thomas does have knowledge of his Indian ancestry, they may think he is just weird. But, knowing his knowledge, we can begin to understand why he does the things he does. The setting and action on the plane trip are important to the understanding of the story and its plot because it brings insight to the reader we hadn't known or understood before about the characters.