Analysis of Themes and Symbols in the Movie "Smoke Signals"

“Some children aren't really children at all, they are just pillar of flame that burn everything they touch. Some children who are just pillars of ash that fall apart if you touch them.”

The symbol of fire is very important in Modern Native American cultures. Throughout the movie Smoke Signals, fire is seen and affects all the characters notably. Smoke Signals is about two teenage boys losing family members and how they overcome their difficulties. Thomas and Victor have a different way of thinking and dealing with problems; however, their lives are tangled by Arnold Joseph.

Smoke Signals: film analysis

Arnold rescued Thomas as an infant from a house fire that killed Thomas's parents. In Native American culture the significance of cutting hair means the end of something or the beginning of something new. Thomas and Victor were both raised by Arnold Joseph, they can be compared to fire and ashes. Although, Victor Joseph had an abusive father that struggled with alcoholism, Thomas Builds-the-fire is a more resilient person because he lost both his parents in a fire when he was a baby. Thomas recovers from difficulties quickly; he is patient with his struggles.

Victor struggles because of his parents drinking problems. In the scene Arlene was scrutinizing out the window with bloodshot eyes watching Victor throw and break beer bottles on Arnold’s pick-up truck and that’s when she felt shame and realized that their drinking was affecting Victor. This encouraged her to stop drinking and convince her husband, Arnold to stop also. However, this didn’t go so well and caused Arnold to hit her and leave. Victor’s parent’s malicious relationships caused Victor to be emotional throughout his life.

For example, in the pondering scene where his father asks him who his favorite Indian is, Victor says “nobody”. He says this because he is horrified with the alcoholism within his family and throughout the reservation. The car accident that he and Thomas got in is like the burning house. They were both results of alcohol. The drunk driver accuses Victor of causing the crash. Victor is a “pillar of flame”, because he has all the enmity accumulated inside him. His fire is still raging on and until he ends this, he will never get to ashes.

Victor thought of his dad as a very bad person. One who is drunk all the time, beat him and his mom, and then abandoned them. When Victor visits the place, Arnold was living and learned more about his father he started to gain more respect for him. For example, when Suzy, Arnold’s new girlfriend tells Victor about how his father went back into the burning house Victor is then compelled to acknowledge that his father did love and care for him. Victor also changes when he went into his dad’s trailer and found a picture of his family in his dad’s wallet. Victor then pulls out his knife and cuts his hair. Earlier in the movie, he told Thomas that “an Indian man is nothing without his hair.” This represents him giving up old memories and starting over. This is comparable to the scene when Thomas informed “After the fire Arnold Joseph mourned by cutting his hair and he never grew it long again.”

Thomas struggles because Victor always imprudently alerts Thomas when something irritated him. Victor continuously yells at Thomas when he tells stories. For example, when Victor wails “Shut up Thomas your full of Shit.” This shows he is more resilient because he can keep his difficulties out of the way. This prevents Thomas from getting angry opposed to Victor being extremely resentful. Victor always hated Thomas because he thought that Arnold had saved Thomas instead of his own son. Towards the end Victor perceived that he saved them both. This is evident when Victor gave Thomas some of his dad's ashes. Thomas is a “pillar of ash” because he was in the fire and he lost everything, accordingly he’d be the end result of the fire and its carnage.

Thomas changes from Victor always spreading negativity. For example, when Victor says “Quit grinning like an idiot. Indians ain’t supposed to smile like that. Get stoic.” This makes Thomas not want to be himself. Thomas changes after Victor says “You gotta look like a warrior.” On the bus. Moments after Thomas Unbraids his hair and takes of his suit. Later in the movie Thomas changes back to his old look. He realizes that nothing is wrong with him.

To sum up, Smoke Signals connects real world issues by showing them in the movie. Thomas and Victor can be compared to fire and ash. Thomas is revealed as a calm and understanding boy, willing to talk and listen to others freely, specifically throughout his story telling. Victor, on the other hand is revealed as a boy that struggles with family and developing anger issues that is shown by rude attitude and outburst. Thomas is linked with ash because of his family dying in a fire leaving him alone in the aftermath. Victor, however, has a more akin personality, like a fire, as he is unable to make reconciliation with his family and being left by his father, resulting in anger and blindness to empathy. Sherman Alexie uses them as an example that everyone has potential to change.

Arnold wasn’t a bad person; he just struggles with alcoholism. He feels guilt for starting the fire and killing Thomas’s parents, so he ran away to Phoenix, Arizona. The symbol of fire, flames and ashes helps show the pain of the characters. Phoenix, the city Arnold moved to is significant to it being a mythical bird reborn from ashes. In Indian culture their hair was very important to them. The movie Smoke Signals illustrates the importance of forgiveness and the importance of community. In Native American culture it is their belief that a Phoenix is a mythological bird that rises from its ashes.

References

1. Alexie, S. (1993). The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven. Grove Press.
2. Alexie, S. (1998). Smoke Signals. Miramax Films.
3. Coates, T. (2015). Between the World and Me. Spiegel & Grau.
4. Crisp, J. (2000). Smoke Signals: A Metaphor for Native-American Survival. Journal of Popular Culture, 34(1), 1-14.
5. Deloria, V., & Lytle, C. (2012). American Indians in American History. University Press of Colorado.