Everyone has a deep love for their parents although they are not closed or one makes mistakes to another and Victor either! Arnold, Victor’s father, has left Victor since he just was a little boy. This event pulls out the distance between them even farther. People may think that Victor has no love for his father or just love a little. However, in deep of his soul, he still respects and loves his father much. “Victor hadn’t seen his father in a few years, only talked to him on the telephone once or twice, but there still was genetic pain, which was soon to be pain as real and immediate as a broken bone.” (Alexie, 59) If Victor does not love his father, how can he get real pain when he heard that his father was gone? Unless he puts his father to an important place in his heart, he feels the pain inside his soul. Also, in the movie when Arnold is going to leave his son forever, Victor calls after and tries to catch him. Victor does not want his father to go and leave him. Even though he and Arnold do not talk to each other regularly, he still wants to be with his father.
Naturally all parents around the world have a great love and sacrificed for their children, even if their children are not good, do not listen to them, or leave them alone. Arnold, Victor’s father in the story “This is What it Means To Say Phoenix , Arizona ” by Sherman Alexie is one of them! At the beginning of the story the readers would think that he do not love his son, Victor. In addition, Arnold does hit his son just because Victor drops his beer. Hitting does not mean he does not love Victor! Having a space and not talking much to his son do not mean Arnold does not love Victor! If the movie’s starting makes people to build that thought, the end of the movie reveals how much he loves his son. There are scenes that Arnold tries to go inside the burning house to look for Victor and talks to Suzan Song about Victor will full of love. In deep of his heart, Victor holds an irreplaceable space.
Victor should forgive his father even if Arnold is not close to him or hit him. Arnold does not mean to leave his son. He does not want to! People can easily notice how much Arnold loves his family when Victor find out a picture with the word “home” on the back. It is enough for Victor to forgive his father!
Thomas and Victor haven’t talked to each other in years, but they are still good friends. When they were all kids, they liked hanging out together, watching fireworks, and telling stories. Furthermore, Thomas helps Victor to go to Phoenix to find Victor’s father. Thanks to Thomas, Victor could pull his foot out of the hole. If they are not friends, how come they help and play together? After traveling Phoenix , the friendship between them which is separated for years is going to be built again. When Thomas asks Victor to stop and listen to his story just one time, Victor does agree. “Victor waved his arms to let Thomas know that the deal was good.” (Alexie, 75) A sun light shines their friendship. Victor and Thomas do make a deal that they can be hanging out in the future.
Nothing is greater than relationship between husbands and wives, brothers and sisters, and especially parents and children. A person’s life cannot be completed or fulfilled without a relationship with both their parents. It is important for someone to still respect, admire and love a parent who has left them. Just like Victor, he tries going to Phoenix to look for his father when he just heard about Arnold ’s death. This example reveals the love that he gives to his father. Arnold is the one who gives life to Victor. Arnold ’s blood is running in Victor’s body. Besides, Arnold loves Victor much. Those are enough for him to forgive his father. I think not only Victor but also those reasons are right for everyone who is in the same situation with Victor.
As reading and watching the same story, people can easily notice that there are a few important differences between those types of media: book and movie. First, Victor and Thomas go to Phoenix by plane in the story and in the movie, they reach there by train. As I know, these two boys are poor and they have not much money. It is more reasonable to set them to go by train at their period. Also, Victor can notice his love for his father by talking and listening to Suzan Song which is only appearing in the movie, not the story. People who read the story would think that Victor does not love his father because of what Arnold did to him. But in “Smoke Signal” people feel the warm of the love of Victor to his father. In my opinion, the setting of the movie is closed to people and relates to real life closely. Sometimes the happenings and the acts of characters do not give a concrete solution to readers.
