Smoke Signals

     Through many points throughout the film entitled Smoke Signals, the race of Native Americans are challenged with many stereotypes since it's a more realist perspective on Indian reservation life.  It tells the story of a young man named Victor and his journey of self actualization about growing up and getting over personal struggles.  He is faced with many obstacles with the most extreme being the death of his father.  Throughout the movie, Indians on the reservation constantly make jokes about their way of life.  Their version of the traffic report is information on specific people since their roads are empty.  When one wins the lottery the reporter comments, "used car dealerships will be waiting."  It further emphasizes how they accept the way they live and have no will to change how people view the race.  They try to find humor in the way they live.
     Victor and Thomas are wrapped up in stereotypes and what it really is to be a 'real' Indian. Victor tells Thomas of the idea to look like a warrior by stating, "you got to look like mean or people won't respect you."   He unravels his braids and gets rid of his suit. Indians are thought of to be angry persistent people. But Thomas is one of few on the reservation that is not following the same character as the others. He tells stories glorifying and exaggerating many events.  Most of them lies, but uses real people with a mix of moral justice. The storytelling is also a way to move the story along.  His stories are a way to show flashbacks and shine greater light on dark situations.  For example, he tells the story of Victor's mom feeding 100 people with 50 pieces of fry bread which is a parody of Jesus feeding his people with little food. 
     It's hard to oversee the meaning of fire in this film.  The movie starts with fire and ends with fire. Its a symbol of freedom and rebirth.  Thomas is reborn through the fire that killed his family.  Forever he is marked with that memory and becomes an Indian unlike the rest.  He has a different attitude towards life and sees it with more hope. Victor's father moved to Phoenix, Arizona.  Phoenix possibly relating to the mythical bird thought to be reborn out of its ashes.  His move was a way for him to start over and begin a new life.  There is a cleansing associating with fire and his father needed a way to clean his conscious of the fire he started that killed two lives.
     In many films and novels, stereotypes of Native Americans center the same idea.  Reservation life is poverty stricken and alcohol abused.  In Smoke Signals, the surrounding characters form that very image.  Sherman Alexie used humor as a way to express the negativity in Indian culture and life on the reservation.