Smoke Signals

          Smoke Signals, illustrates the perspective of two young Native American boys on their way to seek one of the boys' deceased father. The journey of the two boys are long and brutal at times but also eye-opening and determined at other times. Throughout the movie, you realize that Victor is the son of the man who died and his friend traveling with him is Thomas. Thomas and Victor grew up together and Victors dad saved Thomas from a fire at his house that killed his parents. We end up learning more about the characters and their personalities as the story progresses and we are able to see their reasoning behind the choices they have made and the way their personalities are the way they are.

          Victor is a thick-skinned and tougher boy with a lot of self-loath and grudges. He is cold and ruthless just like the stereotypical Native Americans. He grew up with a father who drank too much and then left him just like the stereotypical Native American. The Native Americans were notorious for disappearing and they also have a high rate for alcoholism. Victor told Thomas at one point in the movie, that he had to have a tough look on his face and act tougher or else no one would respect or listen to him. While boarding back onto the bus, two older white men had taken their seats and refused to give them back. The men treated them with disrespect and treated Victor and Thomas as if they were not as important as they were. The idea of the stereotypical hierarchy where the white men are more important and higher up in society than Native Americans, is shown in this scene.

          Thomas is calming and known for his story telling. He told his stories constantly with a way that made the made up stories hard to differ from the real ones. His storytelling, that he embraced and found power in, was a stereotypical Native American trait. They were known for their amazing storytelling. Thomas told stories about love, power, and determination. Thomas always told stories that always made the main character in his stories look better and more dominant in comparison to the other characters in the story. During a scene in the movie, Thomas tells a story about Victor's mom feeding all the Indians at the feast with just a small amount of bread. He made her sound as if she was amazing and powerful but in reality she just broke the pieces apart. He tells this story to make Victor's mother sound amazing and powerful.

          Victor's dad was a drunk man who abused his family. He was full of regret and self-loath because he was the reason that Thomas' parents died. He regretted killing Thomas' parents that he became verbally and physically abusive towards his family and then ended up abandoning them. He fled his lifestyle due to his hatred and depression caused by his own mistakes. Victor's dad was ashamed of his old way of living and wanted a new start, just like how the white men wanted the Native Americans to have a "fresh start" by forcing them to abandon their Indian ways of life and convert to the normal American way of life.

          The movie, Smoke Signals, shows the journey through the lives of two boys and their journey to find one of their fathers. As the story progresses, your understanding of each character and their backgrounds begin to become clear.