Throughout the past half-century, Indians that were represented on television and in the movies were nothing more than illiterate

Smoke Signals offers an in-depth look into the lives of Indians and shows that they are regular people with normal lives. It also shows that they have more in common with the white man than past stereotypes have portrayed. The themes in the film should make any viewer have a new outlook on the Indian culture. This film effectively discredits many of the typical stereotypes that plagued Indians in the past.

The family life of the Indians in this film is no different than the white man’s family, in that the Indian families live in normal houses, not the stereotypical tee pee. They also have modern day conveniences such as television and running water. The home life, to the Indians, is the central part of the family as is in the white man’s culture. This is made known when Victor, the main character, is looking through his deceased dad’s wallet and finds a picture of his family with the word “home” written on the backside. His home life is abusive most of the time and includes verbal arguments with some physical confrontations. The problems of the family life are the main issues of the movie, not just about a certain race of people. I feel that framing the film around the Indian’s personal lives and not around the fact that they were Indians helps depict the similarities between Indians and the white man.

Symbolic elements have a strong meaning in

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