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For our film review paper, I decided to watch he film Smoke Signals. The movie was released on June 26, 1998. Written, directed, and acted by all Native American people. The film centers around two main characters Victor Joseph and Thomas Builds-the-Fire who lives on the Coeur D'Alene Indian Reservation in Plummer, Idaho. Thomas is a strange character who is a storyteller of sorts and has many tales throughout the movie while Victor comes off as angry and cold who is annoyed by Thomas throughout their adventure. They have been friends since childhood because of a fire that Victor’s father saved Thomas from when he was a baby. Because of this act, Thomas looks to Victor’s father as a hero. However, at home Victor and his mother have endure the …show more content…
abuse from his father Arnold due to his alcoholism. This eventually leads to Arnold leaving the home and Victor having a strong disdain for his father. Well into their teen years, Arnold dies in Phoenix, Arizona which is where he resided after he left his family on the reservation. Victor decides to go to Phoenix to retrieve his father’s ashes and Thomas decides he wants to tag along for the trip. On their trip they both explore what it means to be an Indian. Victor tells Thomas that Indians are supposed to be more stoic and mean looking while Thomas always has a more extraordinary personality. This usually leads to Victor always getting angry and lashing out at Thomas. When they reach Phoenix, they meet Suzy Song who was a friend of Arnold when he left his family on the reservation. She gives Victor his father’s ashes and tells them stories of their time together. She also mentions that Arnold told her the real reason why the fire was started that killed Thomas’ parents. These revelations forces Victor to finally confront his conflicting emotions that he has towards his father. By the end of the trip both of the boys come away with a better understanding behind Arnold’s alcoholism and Victor finally comes to terms with the abandonment of his father and his death. While watching the movie there were many things that I were stated in the movie that made me think of some of the things we have talked about in class. Many people know the troubled history that Native Americans have with white people and this films touches on some of those things but mostly in a comical way. Their reservation is small and they seem to all be poor. The house fire is a common theme that occurs throughout the film. Because of the fire that claimed Thomas’ parents, Arnold feels guilt for their deaths and it leads to his alcoholism. It is shown in the movie that after the fire Arnold had cut off his hair and never grew it back ever again. This really stuck out to me because I remember that in one of the lectures you had stated that Natives only cut their hair to mourn people they lost. This is also shown through Victor as he cuts his hair to mourn his father as he is going through his Arnold’s belongings in his trailer. Another theme that you had touched base on in lecture that was also represented in the movie was alcoholism.
Alcohol is a substance that has greatly affected many Native families as you have stated before. This is shown in the film when Arnold’s alcoholism leads to him being abusive to both his wife and son Victor. This leads to Victor destroying his father’s alcohol due to all of the damage it has caused his family. This is one of the reasons why Arnold ended up leaving his family on the reservation. The film also incorporates a few humorous jokes in the film based on what happened to the Natives due to white settlers. A few of the jokes included in the film involved signing papers. It is a well-known fact that white settlers used the signing of contracts by Natives as ways to take their land. This is brought up satirically in the film when they are trying to get a ride from someone who’s supposed to be their …show more content…
cousins. Another joke is thrown in their about trading when Thomas decides to trade a story for a ride to the edge of the reservation. Not only does this touch on Natives trading with settlers but it also touches on Native people and their oral story traditions. Thomas displays this throughout the film as he tells many stories on their trip to Phoenix. The cousins joke with Victor and Thomas about leaving the reservation stating that they are “entering a foreign country” and to “make sure you have your vaccinations”. This is a funny way to talk about a topic that actually has a dark history behind it. Reservations are a part of the United States but they are considered sovereign nations within a nation which is why they said their entering a foreign country. However, the second part of that joke touches on the seriousness of the diseases that Natives died from.
When white settlers came to America, they had diseases that Natives had no immunity to. Therefore, many Native people died as a result from these diseases which is why they joke to make sure they have their vaccinations while “entering” the United States. While on their trip Victor becomes annoyed with Thomas and tells him he needs to “look like an Indian”. He tells Thomas that he needs to be stoic and look mean or else white people won’t respect him. This reference could also be tied to history because when many white settlers came the Native people were friendly towards them. Maybe in Victor’s mind this is why whites were able to take their land is because Native people were not warrior looking enough to scare the whites
away. Throughout the film they both do a lot of walking and Thomas mentions how Natives were always forced to walk and keep walking by white settlers making them leave their lands. Another story that is told in the film is about a basketball game between Victor and Arnold against two white Christians. This is an elaborate story told by Arnold to Suzy and Arnold states that they won the game and that it was the one time that Indians won against a Christian. This statement sticks out to me because many of the white settlers that came to America were Christians and it is a known fact that Natives lost many wars against white Christians. While watching the film Smoke Signals there were a lot of references that were brought up the history between Natives and whites in this country. Some of it was brought up through jokes while some of it was also told through family dynamics in the film. I believe that this is a great film and that it cleverly and realistically represent different facets of Native life and culture.
On October 4, 2016 the sustainability department at Appalachian State University presented the film The Seventh Fire. This was the 3rd of five films in the series devoted to social justice that the sustainability department is presenting. This film was an informative piece on the prevalent drug and gang issue that is common on Native American reservations. The film focuses on the White Earth Indian Reservation and two members who act as large influences in the gang and drug culture that runs rampant through this community. Throughout the documentary both Rob Brown and his 17-year-old pupil Kevin struggle with gang affiliation and the want for redemption and salvation.
After watching “Smoke Signals”, directed by Chris Eyre (1998), one reoccurring motif I noticed was fry bread. Anytime there is a scene with eating there seems to be fry bread accompanying it. It is also the subject of conversation several times. The three instances in the film I’ve chosen to analyze show the symbolism of fry bread as a food that brings Native Americans together. The first scene is between Victor and his mother. Victor doesn’t want to accept Thomas’s help, but his mother uses her famous fry bread recipe as a way to convince Victor that it’s okay to rely on other people. Another example is after Victor tells Thomas he needs to change his appearance to make himself more Indian. Thomas achieves this new look by getting rid of
Throughout the film of Smoke Signals, the story centers on two characters, Thomas and Victor. Thomas, through his storytelling shows Victor that there's more to life than cynicism and pure anger, while Victor let's Thomas know what it means to be a real Indian. We can see this in the scene where Victor tells Thomas that Indians are not supposed to smile to white people and that Indians always should look mean in order to gain the respect of white folks. However, we can see that after they return to the bus their seats have been taken by two white men and neither did Victor’s mean face and faded smile help him gain their seats back. This scene shows us that those stereotypes about how what an Indian is supposed to act are not in fact true because
The story “Smoke Signal” written by Sherman Alexie and directed by Chris Eyre, published on June 26, 1998, is about the relationship between father and son and search for forgiveness through the reflection of the Native American culture. Sherman Alexie is a Native American poet and filmmaker and was born on a Reservation at Wellpinit, Washington. The story reflects Sherman’s childhood by showing how he was growing up in a reservation and his beliefs as a Spokane/Coeur d’Alene tribal member. The main idea of the film is that forgiveness is find through a journey. Sherman Alexie use metaphors and allusion with words such as fire and smoke, Sherman use this figure of speech to show and set in motion flashbacks throughout the story where it expresses
would sign any treaty for her (Alexie).” However, alcohol only made their lives worse. Native Americans throughout the story began to realize that sticking to tradition was more important than following the negative roads of white American culture.
Sherman Alexie's literature often uses symbolic features relating to Native American culture. His characters tell their stories while Alexie tells his own story simultaneously. His 1993 short story, This is What It Means to Say Pheonix Arizona and later film adaption Smoke Signals focuses on two young native American men, Victor and Thomas on a journey to collect Victor's father's ashes. Throughout the journey, Victor reflects on previous events that relate to the death of his abusive father. Fire and Ash continually show up throughout the story; it can be seen through Victor's anger, actual fires and even symbolic fires. Although different,
Alcohol was introduced into Native American culture many years ago and has been a source of suffering since. In Flight, Zits states that his father “was more in love with vodka than with him and his mother,” and it is this statement that helps drive the story along (Sherman 4). Zits addresses the stereotype that come along with being Native American. The major one mentioned in the story is that Native Americans consume a lot of alcohol. This follows what is known as the firewater myth, which says that Native Americans “…may be genetically predisposed to crave ever increasing doses of alcohol…”—this was and still is believed by several researchers (Lamarine). This alcoholism leads to instability within homes and leaves the child to suffer. A perfect example of this is when Zits says that his father “vanished like a magician” shortly after he was born (Sherman 5). It was fear that made Michael’s father run, but it was fear mixed with alcohol that...
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.
Arnold Spirit is fourteen years old, and he has already attended forty-two funerals. “And you know what the worst part is? The unhappy part? About 90 percent of the deaths have been because of alcohol.” In the acclaimed novel and award winning audiobook The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, author Sherman Alexie tells the realistic, yet fictional, account of Arnold Spirit, better known as “Junior” on the Spokane Indian reservation where he lives. Junior’s family even expected him to “croak” at six months old when doctors cut open his skull to remove the water in his brain. But, he lives. ...
Overall, Alexie clearly faced much difficulty adjusting to the white culture as a Native American growing up, and expresses this through Victor in his essay, “Indian Education.” He goes through all of the stages of his childhood in comparison with his white counterparts. Racism and bullying are both evident throughout the whole essay. The frustration Alexie got from this is clear through the negativity and humor presented in the experiences he had to face, both on and off of the American Indian reservation. It is evident that Alexie faces discrimination from white people, who he portrays as evil in every way, to show that his childhood was filled with anger, fear, and sorrow.
In “This Is What It Means To Say Phoenix, Arizona,” Alexie creates a story that captures the common stereotypes of Native Americans. For instance, in the story the narrator states, “Who does have money on a reservation, except the cigarette and fireworks salespeople?” (Alexie). This quotation shows that the narrator addresses the idea that all Native Americans must own businesses that sell fireworks and/ or cigarettes in order to be successful. In this example, Victor is shown to not identify with the Native Americans because he does not pursue the same job opportunities as many Native Americans do. Victor's character is used as a contrast to the stereotypes that , there he represents reality. Another instance in which the author incorporates a stereotype about Native Americans is when Thomas-Builds-the-Fire first makes conversation with Victor. Thomas-Builds-the-Fire informs Victor about the news of Victor's ...
Victor knew he was a Native American that lived on the reservation. However, as he has grown up, it seems he has forgotten the tribal ties of the Native Americans. The people of that culture consider everyone in the tribe to be family and they are not ashamed of who they are and where they come from. Towards the end of the fictional narrative it is said, “Victor was ashamed of himself. Whatever happened to the tribal ties, the sense of community? The only real thing he shared with anybody was a bottle and broken dreams. He owed Thomas something, anything” (519). At the end of the story, Victor has finally realize that he is acting self absorbed. He realizes that this is not who he wants to be and he should not be ashamed to talk to Thomas Builds-a-Fire. Remembering his tribal ties, Victor gives half of his father 's ashes to Thomas. By doing that, Victor is thanking Thomas in his own way. Victor said, “listen, and handed Thomas the cardboard box which contained half of his father. “I want you to have this” (519). Individuals on the reservation thought Thomas was just a madman with weird stories. But in reality he was always true to his tribal identity and has even taught Victor how to get back to that. For example Thomas says, “I’m going to travel to Spokane Falls one last time and toss these ashes into the water. And your father will rise like a salmon, leap over the bridge, over me, and find his way
Growing up on an Indian Reservation is a tough thing to do. Everyone is poor, and almost every adult is always drunk and unhappy. Junior’s own father suffers from alcoholism. His father will sometimes forget about Junior and never shows up to give him a ride home. Junior is then forced to walk or hitchhike all the way back to the Reservation. His father also constantly spends all of their money on alcohol, even during the holidays, “...Dad did what he always does when we don’t have enough money. He took what little money we did have and ran away to get drunk” (Alexie 150). Junior’s unfortunate understanding of alcoholism makes him see the world as an unfair place. He knows that he never wants to be like his father when he grows up. Alcohol also causes a lot of deaths in Junior’s life. His sister died in a terrible fire because she was too drunk to escape her burning RV. Junior is let out of school early because of his sister’s death. He has to wait for his father to come get him, and he laughs and he cannot stop laughing at the thought of his dad also dying on his way to pick Junior up, “...it’s not too comforting to learn that your sister was TOO FREAKING DRUNK to feel any pain when she BURNED TO DEATH! And for some reason, that thought made me laugh even harder, (Alexie 205). When he finally finds out about how his sister dies, he cannot help but laugh even more. Every Indian dies because of alcohol, and Junior finds it funny
Ghosh, R. P. (2012, February 11). Native Americans: The Tragedy of Alcoholism. Retrieved May 21, 2014, from International Business Times: http://www.ibtimes.com/native-americans-tragedy-alcoholism-214046
The film Smoke Signals, screen written by Sherman Alexie, examines the small, ordinary Native American life of a boy that lives on the Coeur d’Alene Indian reservation with family problems. The story is set in 1998 but also has flashbacks throughout the lives of Thomas Builds-the-Fire and Victor Joseph. Both Victor and Thomas must go on a trip to take care of Victor’s father’s business since he has passed away. Victor and Thomas both must be saved from situations throughout the film. In the film, the theme of salvation preserves both Victor and Thomas from death and conserve Victor from living a life of hatred toward his father and others around him, which allows him to understand why his life is filled with pain due to his father’s actions.