Smoke Signals

                There are many different significances to the past in Smoke Signals. The flashbacks into Victor’s childhood show the side of his father that everyone perceives him as. They show how he had a drinking problem just like the stereotypical Indian and how he fought with his wife and beat Victor. However, there are some flashbacks about his father like when Victor and Thomas go to get Victor’s father’s ashes from Arizona and they meet Suzie Songs. Suzie describes how she was good friends with Victor’s father and that he told her many good stories about his son and the good times he had with him and his family. She told them the story of when they played basketball against two Jesuits and how Victor was unstoppable and ended up making the final basket to win the game. We end up finding out though, that it was true except in the end Victor didn’t make the basket, his father just said that in the story to show that he was proud of his son no matter if he made the basket or not.

                Another view of the past is through the stories that Thomas tells. He describes many different stories of the past and always does so in the same sort of way. He closes his eyes and acts out the stories in such a believable manner as though you were really there.  Thomas’ stories describe a story of the past that had happened, however, they weren’t completely true. He always had a way of putting a twist on the story to make it better. They were believable but not always true. For example when he tells the story to Suzie Songs about how Victor’s mother had made 50 pieces of fry bread but there were 100 people but she knew a way to feed everyone by ripping the bread in half. That story showed that Victor’s mom was the best fry bread maker and everyone from around came to gather just to have some of it.