Smoke Signals Sparknotes

The setting for the majority of the movie takes place at the Coeur d’Alene Indian Reservation in Idaho, but changes when Thomas and Victor travel together to Arizona later in the movie. The movie begins on July 4th, 1976 and sets the initial conflict early on. It quickly advances to 1998 when the boys are grown, but, shows excerpts from the past throughout the movie as they reminisced. The Reservation is portrayed well, showing how Native American societies lived and

The Movie Smoke Signals is a story about American Indians. The story is about two teen age boys. At first the Story take place in Coeur D'Alene Indian Reservation in Plummer, Idaho. One of the boys name is Tomas Builds-the-Fire, and the other boys name is Victor Joseph. They were both raised by Victor's father Arnold Joseph. Arnold rescued Thomas as an infant from a house fire that killed Thomas’s parents. Thomas and Victor was neighbors and acquaintances. When victor was at a young age his father left his family and leave the reservation. After few years Victor's mother Arlene hears an unsettling news that Arnold had passed away in Phoenix, Arizona. As result, Thomas and victor go on an adventure to retrieve his ashes. The rest of the story take place in the journey and in Phoenix. In this journey they learn about themselves and each other. Farther more, they learn who Arnold is and how they see him as. Thomas and Victor has different way of thinking and dealing with problems; however, their lives always intertwined by many factors and by Arnold Joseph.

Throughout the story Victor replays moments in his mind. Times when he and Thomas were best of friends. Times when he loved listening to Thomas' visions about life and stories with hidden lessons. Times when Thomas was there for him and even a time when Thomas helped to save his life. The good memories turn to visions of Victor turning his back on his best friend. Victor is faced with the reality of his cruel actions and choices. Of how he chose to go with the rest of the 'pack' and attack the 'weak' one. Victor recalls being drunk when he was fifteen and beating up Thomas for the fun of it. How all of the other boys on the reservation just stood and watched and how he may have continued beating Thomas

Thomas Builds-the Fire values his Native American culture by being a spiritual person. He has prophetic vision and dreams of the future. Thomas Builds-the-Fire tells Victor stories about his father on the trip to Phoenix, Arizona. One of Thomas vision is he predict that Victor father’s going to leave before anyone knew what was going to happen. “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 that 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

Victor Joseph’s portrayal of the classic Native American man is exemplified by Alexie’s use of dialogue, costumes, and flashbacks. For example, when Victor sees Thomas smiling as they ride their way to Arizona he says, “Indians ain’t supposed to smile like that. Get stoic” (Smoke Signals). This example of dialogue reveals how Victor believes a Native American man should present himself traditionally, which strongly contrasts with Thomas’s demeanor and appearance. Victor continues on, saying, “Look at your hair, it’s all braided up and stuff. You gotta free it. An Indian man ain’t nothing without his hair.” (Smoke Signals). Hair design is used to symbolize Victor’s close ties with his ancestral past as a Native American. Additionally, Victor’s comment on hair foreshadows when Victor himself cuts his hair, symbolizing a moment in which Victor embraces his traumatic past by accepting who he is as a person. In a more literal sense, flashbacks are also used to symbolize the trauma that Victor experienced in his direct past - living with an alcoholic father, Arnold Joseph, who abandoned him. However, by the end of the movie, Victor embraces this past through the spreading of his father’s ashes.

     By reading the book, the author showed me was that the only thing left for the remaining Native Americans is to drink, since everything they once had has disappeared. Most part of the book is about Indians having bad experiences in life and facing the loss of their tradition.

The film, Smoke Signals was about an adolescent name Victor and his friend Thomas on a journey to see what happened to Victor’s father. Throughout the movie, Victor has trouble trying to forgive his father for leaving his mother and himself behind. The context behind the movie did a great job in illustrating the culture of Native Americans and threw in some of the common stereotypes that are associated with Native Americans. Some of the stereotypes about Native Americans were domestic violence, them being alcoholics and a scene where one of the female characters, Lucy, says we barter because we’re Indian. The depiction of poverty and struggle in the movie was not as concise because of the difference in living space between Victor’s family and Thomas’s. Victor and his mother live in a decent home. In contrast, Thomas and his grandmother live in a higher standard living space. No one in the film was really struggling to meet ends met like how it is in the real world. If the movie was not focused on Victor and Thomas journey, the story would have taken a different path.

Alcoholism is the leading health and social problem of American Indians than any other race. Native Americans who end up leaving the reservation to pursue education or employment opportunities express a high degree of discomfort and anxiety as a result of “feeling caught in two worlds.” By leaving the reservation they are abandoning their traditions, however temporarily, and suffering a sense of personal loss and insecurity. In entering a new world, this sense of loss and insecurity is heightened and becomes exacerbated, particularly if they do not experience success or acceptance in the new environment (Major, A.K. A 2003). However, if success and acceptance in the new world occurs, these individuals will still suffer the pangs of abandonment since they can never fully return to the reservation. In some cases, forced assimilation has extinguished the culture from many Indians as their grandparents and parents were forced to abandon the old ways in order to become more American. Thomas Jefferson, as well as many others believed that Native Americans can be just as ‘White’ Americans. In an attempt to increase local employment opportunities, many tribes have turned to gambling casinos and the collateral business which support these ventures. Illegal activities would certainly increase among Indians because of the simple fact that they need to survive by any means necessary. This can all

In his 1998 independent film, Smoke Signals, Native American director, Chris Eyre, tells the story of Thomas Builds-the-Fire and Victor Joseph, two Indians on the Coeur d'aLene Indian reservation in Idaho. Thomas and Victor have grown up together. The death of Thomas’ parents in a house fire on the 4th of July unites the two boys, even though they were infants, as Victor’s father, Arnold, saved Thomas from the fire. As time passes, Arnold becomes more and more distant and abusive, drowning his sorrows in alcohol. One day he leaves Victor and his mother and disappears for good. Victor never really knew why his father left him, but felt that it was his fault. He goes through his days feeling guilty and is constantly plagued by Thomas, who annoys

In the film Smoke Signals, Sherman Alexie displays the importance of past using action, flashbacks and storytelling. There was a fire when Victor and Thomas were only babies; both of Thomas’s parents died, but Arnold saved baby Thomas. Although Thomas doesn’t remember it, it affected his whole life dramatically. This flashback sets the stage for the idea that the past is why everything is how it is in the present. The scene where the girls are driving backwards down the road is a solid example of a metaphor for how looking at the past can help you progress into the future. After hearing a story that was a trade for a ride, Velma says “I think it’s a fine example of the oral tradition”. The metaphor we used for the backwards driving and

For most of my life, the word “Native American” had immediately made me think of feathers, powwows, and a society uncorrupted by civilization. However, in watching the movie Smoke Signals, a movie that depicts the modern Native American culture, I learned many other things. For one, I learned that many of the customs that modern Native Americans have are very similar to my own. I also saw that the family life of the Native Americans in the film had many of the same problems that my family had undergone in the past years. This film was unlike any that I have ever seen; therefore, it reached me on a very personal level.

The movie Smoke Signals is based on the series of short stories written by Sherman Alexie. Just like any movie, there is a meaning to it. Before this movie, when I thought of the phrase "Native American" I thought of things like feathers and societies that were impeccable. But after watching the movie, Smoke Signals, it portrays what being a Native American really means. It is not all fun and games. The protagonist, Victor Joseph, has many hard aspects of his life, but throughout it all he grows mentally. His personality in the beginning of the movie is mean and despicable, he is filled with wrath, but as the movie goes on his personality grows gradually. By the ending of the movie, he was a nicer and kinder.

In the novel Reservation Blues, most of the characters struggle with their identity at some point. Victor has an especially strong urge to rebel against his Native American heritage, which is apparent in his violent, arrogant demeanor and his obvious problem with alcohol. Victor is tied to his past and has trouble coping with his life as it is, and is in a constant battle with himself, his surroundings, and other people.

Another example of the ancient Native American spirit on the reservation was given early in the movie, just as Victor and Thomas are beginning their journey to Phoenix. We see the duo walking side by side down a dirt road, and soon a beat up "reservation car" pulls up beside them carrying two women. The reservation car is old and worn down, dust caking

Campells typical hero sequence holds truth in Smoke Signals as well. Victor’s unusual birth in Smoke Signals is symbolic; he is saved from a tragic house fire as a young baby. This house fire is the same event that drives his father away from the Coeur d 'Alene Indian Reservation. Inevitably this later requires Victor to leave home and confront his ego while retrieving his father’s remains.