Essay on Smoke signals

He seems to be forgetting who they are: “the same feelings caused me to forget [my family] whom I had not seen for so long a time” (Shelley 49). Victor lets his task of recreating life, take over his own life. He does not even stop to acknowledge, or respond to the letters sent to him by his family, and the last time he sees his family is six years ago. This causes the decline of his relationship with his family, as they rarely talk to, or see Victor. Finally, Victor understands that his constant desire for knowledge needs to end, so to alleviate some stress caused by the invidious monster, he decides to visit his family: “I passed through scenes familiar to my youth, but which I had not seen for nearly six years!” (Shelley 71). Victor just assumes that when he visits his family again, everything will be the same as it was when he left 6 years ago. But, it is quite the opposite. This leads to Victor realizing the extent of his decayed relationship with his family. Many things have changed, such as his new younger brother being born, and his mother’s death. His family welcomes him, but since he has been gone for so long, they do not appreciate his visit as much.

In the movie Smoke Signals the writer Sherman Alexie frequently shows stereotypes of the Native American people and shows the audience why the stereotypes are not true or meaningful. Focusing on the character Thomas, the film portrays him like he would be the stereotypical Indian sitting around the campfire telling stories. I think the film did a good job trying to show that, as he is often telling stories and he is even guided by his dreams making him seem like a spiritual person.

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.

Overall I found the movie to be quite interesting and exciting at times but a bit slow in others. The story itself was very clear to me and didn’t cause any confusion. It had a good flow also, just as you were on the verge of falling into boredom with a scene they switched it up on you to keep you

In the film Smoke Signals, Chris Eyre explores the lives of the people of the Coeur d’Alene Reservation through Thomas Builds-the-Fire’s story. Thomas’s story shows how Victor's relationship with Arnold is rebuilt even after Arnold's death, and Victor comes to a place of understanding and forgiveness with his father and the world around him. Throughout the film, the symbolic references of the rez car and the cutting of the hair tie the story together and complement the main themes of life change and renewal, exemplifying the way people work through life's hardships.

Even though she said so many good things about his father and about things he was afraid of, Victor did not want to show any compassion for his father. It is like the story on Real Boys, Inside the World of Boys: Behind the Mask of Masculinity. Victor was hiding behind this mask so he would not show his emotions. However, after the accident, he began to think about his father. He understood that no one could be perfect and he finally saw that he really loved his father.

Smoke Signals, released in 1998, is a classic film that provides insight to the lives of Native Americans living on reservations. There are very few films that attempt to portray Native Americans at all, yet alone in a respectful manner. The characters are all played by genuine Native American actors including: Adam Beach, Evan Adams, Irene Bedard, Gary Farmer, and Tantoo Cardinal. Additionally, it is directed by Chris Eyre, another Native American. This film tries to overcome stereotypes of Native Americans that are prevalent in society, and does so in a humorous way. Smoke Signals takes the viewer along on a journey with the two main characters, Victor and Thomas. They leave their reservation in Idaho to travel to Arizona in order to collect Victor’s father’s ashes. This film is a classic because of it’s timeless theme: forgiveness. Smoke Signals portrays the theme of forgiveness by featuring Victor, a character struggling to forgive his late father for being an alcoholic and leaving him as a child; Victor takes Thomas along on a trek to Arizona to retrieve Victor’s father’s ashes.

Thomas helps Victor by giving him his savings so that victor can go to Phoenix to claim his dead dad’s savings. “ He said I had to watch over you in return of him not telling anyone.” Thomas told Victor that once they were on their way to claim the money in the bank. Victor’s dad told Thomas to watch over victor

Victor tells the reader, “I was seized by remorse and the sense of guilt, which hurried me away to a hell of intense tortures.” (NEED CITATION) Because of this overpowering guilt and depression, Victor even contemplates suicide; saying, “I was tempted to plunge into the silent lake, that the waters might close over me and my calamities forever.” (81). But throughout all of his suffering, Victor found hope and love in Elizabeth. In one of the letters he wrote to her, he proclaims, “I fear, my beloved girl, little happiness remains for us on earth; yet all that I may one day enjoy is centered in you.” (168). In this statement of love, Victor summarizes what he has to live for. His happiness does not remain in science, friendships, or family; but resides in his future with Elizabeth. He later talks about the last moments of his life during which he enjoyed the genuine feeling of happiness, his wedding. While alive, Elizabeth had been his greatest lover, encouraging him through all of his darkest valleys. And even in her passing, the vengeance of her death consumes Victor’s mind, dedicating his life to kill the horrific Monster which he had created.

As Victors brother was killed by the creature he created, the remourse victor and his father have towards his death show weakness. Men in society are conditioned to be brought up as brave and protective. While Victors father is letting the death of

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.

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

Overcoming your past is something big in Smoke Signals and how certain characters achieve this. Victor has a lot going on inside that he will not let come up to the surface for him to deal with. Inside Victor feels responsible for his father leaving. We see this in the flashback scene right after his father left and Thomas ask him about it and if he left because he hated him. Victor proceeds to beat Thomas up and then run away because he believes that he is the reason why his father left, but he doesn’t want to face it. Victor thinks of his dad as a very bad person, one that was drunk all of the time, beat him and his mom, and then left them. By the end of the film he may have then come to realize that he wasn’t the reason his father left and

In the end, Victor finds himself in the company of Walton, where he tells him the misfortunes of his solitary life and about the monster that he created and in turn destroyed his life.