Grandfather to Thomas, Samuel Builds-the-Fire is also in possession of “the gift of storytelling.” He works as a hotel maid in Spokane for many years before losing his job suddenly and without warning. On the day that he’s let go, he goes to a bar where he takes his first drink of alcohol, then drinks until he becomes massively drunk. Walking home from the bar, he falls down onto a set of train tracks and stays there, though he can hear the train’s whistle approaching.
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Samuel Builds-the-Fire Character Timeline in The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven
The timeline below shows where the character Samuel Builds-the-Fire appears in The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
A Train is an Order of Occurrence Designed to Lead to Some Result
On the morning of his birthday, Samuel Builds-the-Fire—grandfather to Thomas, and a visionary storyteller himself—dresses and readies for work. He is a...
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Samuel heads to the Midway Tavern, where he knows “all the Indians drink in eight-hour shifts.”...
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Samuel reveals that he never drank for fear it would “corrupt his stories,” which he used...
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Samuel stays in the bar until closing time. Then he staggers through Spokane, drunk and alone,...
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