Native American director Chris Eyre’s film Smoke Signals features a complex storyline and set of characters that provide insight on important issues such as alcoholism, abuse, and the toll that they take on their victims. The plot focuses on three major characters, Arnold Joseph, his son Victor Joseph, and Thomas Builds-the-Fire. In 1976, when both Thomas and Victor are babies, drunken Arnold sets a house on fire. Both of Thomas’ parents are in the house when the fire starts. Thomas’ parents throw him out of the window in an attempt to save him and Arnold catches him, but afterward is filled with guilt that overpowers his honor for saving Thomas. As the film progresses, it includes many other flashbacks and stories of past events, as well as the main storyline which takes place in 1998. One such flashback that the audience sees is Victor recalling Arnold as an abusive father and husband, fueled by his alcohol addiction, which eventually causes him to leave home on the Coeur d’Alene Indian Reservation in Idaho and travel to Phoenix, Arizona. His leaving has a large impact specifically on Victor’s personality and social habits, as well as those surrounding him, such as Thomas. When Arnold dies in his Phoenix home in…show more content… Thomas is able to help rescue Victor from his own negative emotions as Shamans do. Although Thomas is not the only one, he plays a large part in Victor’s changing character. Forgiving his father is the step that Victor needs to take in order to rid himself of the guilt and anger that he felt for his father’s leaving, which Thomas recognizes in all stages of his own life after Arnold leaves. To Victor, forgiving his father may seem independent, however, Thomas, acting as a Shaman, leads him
