Movie Analysis: The Meaning Of 'Pick-Up Truck'

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The Meaning of the Pick-Up Truck The movie “Smoke Signals” was directed by Chris Eyre and the story line was written by Sherman Alexie, an extremely well known, and a personal favorite of mine, writer. Together and the help of many Native Americans, they created a movie following the journey of two teen Coeur D 'Alene Native American boys traveling to Arizona trying to retrieve Victor’s fathers remains. Thomas tags along with Victor while traveling from Idaho on bus and on foot. Throughout the bus ride, Victor teachers Thomas how to be a “real Indian.” Thomas, an avid storyteller, fills the trip with stories about Victors’ father. Thomas’s parents were killed in a fair when he was just a little kid, during the movie you are led to believe …show more content…

As a young kid, Victor looked up to his father but also had problems with his father. While he loved his dad, Arnold could be abusive to both Victor and Victor’s mother. One scene in the movie, Arnold asks Victor to give him a drink from the cooler, Victor drops the drink and it spills all over the floor of the truck. Arnold in some ways yells at Victor and slaps/ hits Victor in the face for dropping the drink. Also throughout young Victors life, you can see his father and mother losing themselves to alcohol, and to take out his anger, young Victor goes outside and starts throwing thing at something his dad loves and the thing that he experiences pain in, the dads pick-up truck. Victor lets his anger go during the night while his parents are passed out from all the drinking they did at the party earlier that night. I think that during that moment, Victor wanted to show how tough he was but also that he was tired of seeing his parents drink and not being themselves. I think that the pick-up truck during that time represents Victor trying to stand up to his dad while showing that he could be tough too. During Victor’s anger, his mother wakes up to the sound of something hitting the pick-up truck. Walking to the window she sees her sound of Victor angrily throwing rocks against the back of the truck. In that moment, his mother decides to stop drinking to make …show more content…

She was close to Arnold during his time where he left his family. Arnold and Suzy became close and Arnold would tell stories about Victor and other stories in general. During a flashback from Suzy, Arnolds pick-up truck wasn’t starting up. He claims that it usually doesn’t have that problem, but Suzy doesn’t mind. Personally, I think at this moment it shows he is no longer running away, but in a sense still isn’t where he belongs. After the flashback ends, Suzy tells Victor to go to the trailer that he lived in and that’s when Victor changes, but he also realizes that his father never meant to leave, whether that was mentally or

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