Smoke Signals

A detailed Summary of Smoke Signals


In the movie, Smoke Signals, two men from the Coeur d'Alene Indian Reservation, take a journey to Arizona. The trip turns into a philosophical journey as much as a physical one, encountering odd ball characters and discovering poetic messages at the end of the road. The main characters, Victor Joseph and Thomas Builds-the-Fire have known each other since childhood, they are not exactly friends but share a special link. On July 1976, Victor's father, Arnold Joseph, accidentally sets fire to a house killing everyone inside except manages to save Thomas and his son.

Thomas, who has become a true believer in spirits, narrates the movie. He waits patiently for visions and enjoys stories of both fact and fiction. Yet, he is also a bit of a nerd who spends too much time watching Indians on television and Dances with Wolves over and over again to understand the meaning of being an Indian. . Nevertheless, Thomas who was raised by his grandmother continues to worship Arnold even though Arnold left the reservation for a life in Phoenix when Thomas and Victor were only 12 years old. Victor seems to be full of hostility toward his father for abandoning him and his mother, Arlene. The boy hood scenes of Victor and


When they first start their journey they run into two native girls driving backwards in their car. (I feel represents the direction of the Indian culture is heading backward). They pass the local meteorologist / reporter who sits on a deserted intersection broadcasting the rez's happenings for KREZ, the local radio station. The guy is on the top of a van reporting on who goes by and weather they are likely going to be late for work His weather forecasts consist of what he thinks the clouds look like. When the girls go as far as they could with the boys, they ask them if they have they have their passports because it is another world outside the rez.

Along the way, Thomas and Victor teach each other life lessons. Thomas, through his storytelling shows Victor that there's more to life than cynicism and pent-up anger. Victor, in turn, lets Thomas know what it means to be a real Indian. In my favorite scene, Victor has these words of advice, "Indians aren't supposed to smile, Thomas, get stoic. If you don't look mean, white people won't respect you." This shows the inside struggle Victor faces about being an Indian in a white man's world. A few scenes later, when two obnoxious white men sit in their seats

Some common words found in the essay are:
Suzy Song, Idaho Arnold's, Victor Arnold, Thomas Victor, Arnold Joseph, Victor Thomas, Idaho Arizona, Indian Reservation, Thomas Builds-the-Fire, Symbolically Victor, thomas victor, victor thomas, suzy song, smoke signals,

Approximate Word count = 823
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Miscellaneous

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