Smoke Signals Essay

886 Words4 Pages
Andrew Hill ENG&111 October 27, 2013 Smoke Signals The movie Smoke Signals and the story This Is What It Means To Say Phoenix, Arizona, both written by Sherman J. Alexie, both present the story of a man traveling to Phoenix Arizona to retrieve his deceased father’s ashes. However, subtle differences in their storylines or in a character’s demeanor changed the way the story developed and how the characters interacted. Each of these changes had their own respective effects, and the author had motivation behind them that aided the story. One significant difference between This Is What It Means To Say Phoenix, Arizona and Smoke Signals is the presence of the Fourth of July fire that burns down the house and kills both of Thomas's parents.…show more content…
In the story Victor is a broken down alcoholic, he seems to be more reserved and keeps his thoughts and feelings bottled up. The Victor in the movie is much more narcissistic, brutally honest, and at times rude. In the story Victor is much more tolerant of Thomas and his stories, he seems more open and willing to let Thomas express himself. This allows Victor to hear stories of his father’s generosity and kindness, helping Victor to make peace with his inner resentment of his father. In the movie Victor is much more blunt with letting Thomas share his stories, he specifically tells Thomas he does not want him to share any of his stories. This doesn’t stop Thomas, so after would tell a story Victor would reply “you’re full of sh*t.” This kind of negative attitude allowed the author to create a character that would play the role of a emotional healer, to make Victor more open and willing to hear stories of his father. That was the role Suzy Song played, she told him his father had quit drinking and how much he missed home. This helped Victor overcome the feeling of emotional abandonment he felt because of his
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