“Smoke Signals” is a movie that describes living conditions for Native Americans. Victor and Thomas are the main characters in the movie. Victor is a tough Indian guy who is hard to handle, even though he has a special attitude towards his mother. Thomas is a nerd, who is smart, and he enjoys telling stories to anyone. Victor’s father, Arnold Joseph, causes a fire accidently on Independence Day in 1976 on the reservation in Idaho in which Thomas’s parents died, but he miraculously saved Tomas from the fire. Even though Victor hates his father because of father’s addiction to alcohol, he manages to forgive him at the end of the movie. Victor had a tough relationship with his father and it becomes even worse as it gets. The more his dad was drinking, …show more content…
Speak up, boy! Who is your favorite Indian? Victor: Nobody, nobody, nobody. Victor’s response shows his hate to his father, which makes his father angry, and Arnold keeps drinking. On the next day, Victor was smashing the beer bottles onto his truck, alluding to the hatred the young man felt towards his father. That action leads his father to leave the Coeur d’Alene leaving behind young Victor and his mom. After ten years of suppressed anger, Victor’s mother receives a phone call that Arnold Joseph passed away in Phoenix, Arizona. Consequently, after discussion with his mother, Victor decides to go there with Thomas, and brings his ashes and remains back to Coeur d’Alene. In Phoenix, Arizona, Victor and Thomas meet Sue Song, the lady who called regarding Arnold Joseph’s death. She answered all the questions the boys wanted to know. She also told Victor about his dad’s love for his son, and what exactly happened in the fire day. After a long conversation, Victor understands that his father did not mean to leave, and felt sorry for his dad. During his search in the trailer, Victor found an old picture of their family with the word “home” on the back of the picture, which made him think about his dad in a different way and proud of him. After a deep thinking, Victor cuts his hair and understands that his father did not mean to
The main characters go on a journey to pick up Arnold (Victor’s father) ashes and belongings in Phoenix, Arizona. Along their journey they meet different cultures and people such as a gymnast and the two cowboys that discriminates them for their appearance and culture. Through the journey, Victor embrace his feelings and beliefs with the help of Thomas. When they arrive at Arnold’s house, Victor learn that the reason of the fire that killed Thomas parents is his father, which reflects at the beginning of the movie where Arnold said to Thomas Grandma “I didn’t mean too” (Arnold Joseph, Smoke Signal, 1998). On their way back to the reservation, they get into an accident which they were blame by the real culprit of the accident. The cop asks Victor if he drink and he says, “I don't drink, never had a drop of alcohol in my life, not a drop”, (Victor Joseph, Smoke Signal, 1998). This conversation reflects to Victor’s childhood where he’s father asks him to drink his beers and he did. In the end of the story, Thomas asked Victor why he’s dad left, and Victor said “He didn’t mean too, Thomas” (Victor Joseph, Smoke Signal, 1998), and this is a metaphor of Arnold saying the same thing from the beginning of the
Smoke Signals I thought was a good movie. This movie can touch my heart. Victor and I both have some very similar experiences, so I can understand his feelings very easily. At the end of the movie, Thomas was reading a poem how do we forgive our father; I was listening carefully and asking myself the same question. Victor regards his father with both deep love and bitter resentment and dislike. Victor and I both have some very similar experiences, so I can understand his feelings very easily. At the end of the movie, Thomas was reading a poem how do we forgive our father; I was listening carefully and asking myself the same question. Victor regards his father with both deep love and bitter resentment and dislike.
People mistake the Indian culture for living in T-Ps and going to powwows and always being drunk. But Smoke Signals really shows how the Indian culture really is. It includes how their culture is different from the white man but the stereo types that people put out for Indians are really inaccurate. Victor and Thomas not only take us on this interesting adventure to see his dad but they show us all of the Indian stereo types.
Sometimes, an alcoholic can be abusive. In Arnold Josephs case, it is nonetheless. When Arnold realizes that he accidentally starts a fire that kills Thomas’s parents, alcoholism seems as the only thing in which he can turn to and try to resolve his problems. After a few years, Arnold’s alcoholism takes a toll on the household. Victor’s attitude toward alcohol is greatly affected as he sees what it did to his father. Arnold eventually left the reservation due to him not being able to manage his emotions. Even though it may seem that Arnold was being selfish, in reality, it was quite the opposite. Arnold saves the two by not submitting them to a life of fear by leaving town. In the end, alcohol rescues Victor from living in fear.
After the death of William and Justine, Victor falls into a depression because he is disturbed with the guilt of the death of William and Justine.
Growing up, Victor and Thomas didn’t get a long so well. Thomas was often annoying and Victor just wanted to be left alone. Thomas often talked of Arnold and Victor never wanted to talk about his deserted father. The last thing that Victor wanted to do was talk about the father that bailed on...
Victor knew his father for twelve years of his life, but when he and Thomas travel to Arnold’s final home, Victor finds that he didn’t really know him at all. The film also touches on ideas of discrimination. Throughout the movie, Victor and Thomas were discriminated against many times, for example, when two white men stole their seats on the bus, telling them to “go back to their powwow.” Ideas of death and legacy also play a big part in Smoke Signals. The movie is centered around the death of Arnold, and Victor’s belief in the legacy that he left behind (whether he was an alcoholic who abused Victor, or a completely different man than Victor was willing to
In an interview with Sherman Alexie, Alexie states that, "The smoke that originates from the first fire in the movie is what causes these events, and the smoke from the second fire brings about the beginning of resolution." The first fire is the tragic house fire and the second fire is a fire that the healing figure of the movie starts in order to burn down the trailer Arnold Joseph lived in. The trailer's fire symbolizes letting go of all the pain Arnold Joseph caused in the world. It helps show that Victor is slowly letting go of the pain his father caused which in turn means the fire that burns within him is starting to smolder as
Victor is jailed because he is suspected of murdering his friend Henry Clerval. The murder occurs the previous night and there are witnesses that say they saw Victor acting suspiciously during the night.
Victor’s father left his family because according to Thomas, “when they were seven years old, when Victor’s father still lived with the family, Thomas closed his eyes and told Victor this story: your father’s heart is weak. He is afraid of his own family, he is afraid of you. Late at night he sits in the dark. Watches the television until there’s nothing but white noise. Sometimes he feels like he wants to buy a motorcycle and ride away. He wants to run and hide. He doesn’t want to be found” (512). When Victor’s father left, he never truly forgave him. Readers know that because of the details told at the beginning of the story and through the quote that was used in the second paragraph. Although he felt some resentment towards his father, he still felt obligated to bring him back to the reservation. That is where the theme of family comes into the story. Victor’s father died in his hot trailer and was not found for at least a week. Victor knew the trailer his father was staying had to have smelt ripe. But he did not care, as explained in the story, he says,“but there might be something valuable in there and I was talking about pictures and letters and stuff like that” (515). The trip that Victor made to Phoenix was a family journey. That long trip had taught Victor about himself and most importantly about his father. The grief that was bottled up inside was finally being put to rest now
Victor grows up in school both on the American Indian Reservation, then later in the farm town junior high. He faces serious discrimination at both of these schools, due to his Native American background. This is made clear in both of the schools by the way the other students treat him as well as how his teachers treat him. His classmates would steal his glasses, trip him, call him names, fight him, and many other forms of bullying. His teachers also bullied him verbally. One of his teachers gave him a spelling test and because he aced it, she made him swallow the test. When Victor was at a high school dance and he passed out on the ground. His teacher approached him and the first thing he asked was, “What’s that boy been drinking? ...
Everything starts to change once Victors ambitions become his life. He leaves to study at Ingolstadt, where his destiny begins to unfold. This is when Victor’s isolation begins. The search for the secrets of life consumes him for many years until he thinks he has found it. For months, he assembles what he needs for his creation to come alive.
“This Is What It Means To Say Phoenix, Arizona” discusses the physical and mental journey of Victor, a Native American man in the state of Washington, as he goes to Phoenix, Arizona to claim his father’s remains and his savings account. While on this journey, Victor learns about himself, his father, and his Indian culture with the help of his estranged friend, Thomas Builds-the–Fire. The author, Sherman Alexie, plays on the stereotypes of Native Americans through the characters of Victor and Thomas. While Thomas is portrayed as the more traditional and “good” Native American, Victor comes across as the “bad” Native American. Through the use of this binary relationship, Alexie is able to illustrate the transformation of these characters as they reconcile with each other, and break out of these stereotypes in the process.
Victor is negatively affected by his isolation from the world. His isolation has caused him to become addicted
In life, everyone experiences a time of hardship, and for the most part, those affected find methods of overcoming the adversity. The idea of getting through hardship is best reflected in; Sherman J. Alexie’s story “This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona” (274). In the story, victor whose father had recently died from a heart attack has to travel to phoenix Arizona to reclaim his father’s ashes and his truck. Victor is joined by his former childhood friend “Thomas Builds-the-fire”, who finances the trip to phoenix since Victor did not have the means. They drove back truck from phoenix to the reservation. Throughout the trip, Thomas is always telling stories mostly reminiscing about their childhood. It is through Thomas stories that we learn much about Victor’s father. Through the use of symbolism, and character development, Alexie conveys the idea that, when someone is experiencing an adversity, reconnecting and embracing the past may lead to a discovery of a brighter future.