Smoke Signals Rough Draft for Essay 3

Dear classmates, 

Please provide me with pointers and things I need to improve on this essay. 

        Thanks

One of the toughest things in the world is learning to forgive. Forgiveness is hard especially if you’ve been hurt badly. Many of us don’t know how to let things go after we’ve said the have been forgiven. Forgiveness plays an important role in the film “Smoke Signals”. It began the role of healing in Victor’s life after all the pain he suffered. Victor took out most of his anger on his actions towards Thomas since he was a child. No child should carry with a pain this big throughout their life.

When Victor was a child his father would always be drunk. When he was drunk he would beat on Victor and his mother. He started to become an abusive man and that led to many arguments between his wife and himself. In one of the scenes in the movie, where we see Victors father leaving in his truck, then Victor starts to run after him wanting to keep him from going. Arnold, his father, grabs Victor and hugs him tight and turns him over to his mother. It then zooms to Victor’s face and all you see is a child’s heart destroyed. Since that day he becomes angry with himself and towards the rest of the world.

Earlier in the film, a fire occurs and Thomas loses his parents. He was the only one that was able to escape thanks to Arnold. As Thomas grows up he develops a special kindness towards Arnold, you could say he saw him as a father role. After Arnold left town, Thomas made a remark to Victor about being fatherless. Victor was already angry enough so this just added to his pot of anger, which led him to aggressively beat Thomas up. But Thomas let it go, because he treasured Victor and they were almost like brother. Victor anger kept growing and he never talked about how he felt to anyone. Most of what he would do is pick on Thomas and no matter what Thomas forgave him. Its like he understood Victor’s situation. Thomas was able to forgive many things Victor did to him.

Victor grew up thinking his father had forgotten all about him and he learned to keep going in life facing like abandonment didn’t bother him. He soon finds out his father died and he has to go pick up his ashes. Not having money, he made the decision to take Thomas’ offer. What he had to do is take Thomas with him to Arizona in exchange for money to get there. I bet Victor was feeling many feelings and sadness at the same time while on the road towards Arizona. When they arrive they meet a Friend of Arnold named Suzie, who hands them Arnold’s ashes. At this point, Victor starts to talk about his feelings and anger that he’d felt since his father left him. He had confidence in her to be able to just open up to her and not even knowing her. Victor then found out that his father would think everyday of him and he regretted all he had done. He really did want to go back but he didn’t have the courage or heart to face his son. When Victor heard this he was relieved. The anger he once felt turned into compassion. The weight on his shoulder was lifted and he was able to get up after being pushed down.

Towards the end, when Victor and Thomas arrive home. Victor gives Thomas some of his father ashes. One of the reasons could have been that since he forgave his father he saw the world in new eyes and accepted Thomas as a brother. After all, Arnold was almost like a father to Thomas ever since he lost his parents. Victor lets his father’s ashes go in the river and he breaks down. His anger had finally ended and he let it all out. It was then he realized he had always mattered to his father and his father was always going to be in his heart.

When you learn to forgive, you become relieved. The anger or sadness you once felt is taken away. Most people don’t let things go for a very long time and they keep it all in. Forgiving is difficult but once you do it you become a stronger person and you learn to see the world different. “Smoke Signals” has many scenes where forgiveness is shown. Victor carried anger throughout his life, which made him miserable to the day where he found out his father always cared for him. He got nowhere with that anger, once he forgave he became a new person and let of the feelings he once felt towards his father.