Choose a scene from the movie and share your critical thinking in response.
The movie Smoke Signals is about two Coeur d’Alene Indians named Victor and Thomas who grew up together like brothers. They were infants when the night of the big fire happened and Victor’s dad Joseph saved Thomas from the blaze. He than grew up with his grandmother and Victor had a horrible child hood. Joseph was an alcoholic and one day he hit his wife across the face and she asked him to leave and he does. Victor was very upset and Thomas was not very helpful. They had a relationship that was like brothers and Thomas just happened to be the dorky and annoying one and Victor was the cocky and tough one. When Victor’s father died he had to go to Arizona and pick up his stuff and truck and the only way it was happening was if Thomas went because he had the money.
The scene that I chose to talk about was when they got onto the bus and there communication with others. When they first stepped onto the bus everyone starred at them like they had seen a ghost. That to me showed that people judge things by the cover and because you don’t see Indians that much they didn’t know how to respond. Once Thomas started communicating to the lady who said she was in the Olympics and all the details, Victor was able to get out of her that she was just an alternate and never competed so she was lying. Victor told Thomas to “never trust anyone”. I agree with him saying that to Thomas because even though that movie was a long time ago that phrase is still important today. You can hardly do anything without someone knowing your information or your life. We now have major media influences that don’t help privacy or confidently. When you are someone of another culture you shouldn’t trust others outside of your culture until you are for sure it is safe. Victor also brought up how not to trust the white people too which I also agree with even though I am white. Many of us in our background as white people get looked at as snotty or not nice to others. Many people at my work are of the Mexican culture and I do notice that they confide in each other more than bonding with me. It takes them a while to adjust to me and it makes me feel like they don’t want to talk to me because they think I am better than them.
Overall you have to watch your back in the world today and take Victor’s comments seriously and make sure your friends are true friends like Thomas. The journey that they went on showed manhood, friendship, forgiveness and the importance of their culture as Indians. After Victor learned that his dad did want to come back home all those years and that he wasn’t a bad father, Victor was able to connect with him. He cut his hair at the end like his father and got on his knees and howled like an Indian like his dad when spreading his ashes. I really enjoyed this movie and saw many scenes that were great and had meaningful thoughts.
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I agree with you...Don't trust random people to easily. People would say or do what you want to hear so they can get what they want. I have made mistakes in the past by trusting the wrong people who I used to call a friend.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you talked about that scene on the bus with the "olympian" I think it was an important scene because Victor was kind of teaching Thomas and when he found she was lying it confirmed what he thought and made him look good to Thomas.
ReplyDeleteHi Deborah,
ReplyDeleteThanks for giving me more to think about! Your post reminds me of a quote a heard some years ago: “Difference exists; what matters is the meaning we give to difference.” Your comments demonstrate the meaning given to the differences both Thomas and Victor deal with. The bus scene is the first moment where they are confronted by their own difference and the differences of the others on the bus. Victor is immediately suspicious of the difference, while Thomas is like a child, wanting to know more. We also see the faces of people on the bus, which gives us an inkling about the way the other passengers are “seeing” them.
Lauren :)
Deborah,
ReplyDeleteI can understand those who have experienced prejudice such as Victor to make a statement such as "never trust anyone" because of what he has experienced in his life. Today in modern society I would hope that this is not the case for most people. I think the scene also really showed the stark comparison of a person who felt saved by someone (Thomas) and the son who felt abandoned by someone.
This part of the movie stuck out for me as well. I thought that Thomas was being a little naive because he didn’t have much life experience off of the reservation. I think it is important to be aware of the dangers of the world but it hardens you to “not trust anyone”, as it hardened Victor. I think once Victor learned not to be so mistrusting he was able to work through his emotional problems.
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