The Narrative Power of Native American Storytelling
The dramatic-comedy Smoke Signals, a brilliant screenplay written by Sherman Alexie in 1998 and directed by Chris Eyre, inspired by Alexie 's book The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven which details Native American life. Alexie has “...always been fascinated with dreams and stories and flashing forward and flashing back and playing with conventions of time…”, as he stated in “Sending Cinematic Smoke Signals an Interview with Sherman Alexie”. Based on one of many short stories, Smoke Signals tells the humorous adventure of protagonists Victor and Thomas, two Native American boys living on the Coeur d 'Alene Reservation. Saved from a house fire by Victor’s father when he was an infant, …show more content…
Visiting Phoenix, Arizona Victor encounters Suzy Song, a Native American acquaintance of his father. “Sometimes he would give me a ride”, said Suzy, referencing Arnold, showing the closeness within the Native American community. Using flashbacks of Arnold offering to assist Suzy with her groceries, Alexie demonstrates how close Native American communities are. The intimacy of the Coeur d 'Alene Reservation can be witnessed by frequent community gatherings and close community ties. Telling Suzy, a story of fry bread Victor’s mother often made, he illustrates the hundred Native Americans who crave her well known fry bread. Although fry bread is a staple of Native American culture, Victor and Thomas convey their saturation with American culture through discussions of superheroes, and a story of Thomas’s trip to Denny’s. While sitting at a bridge, and watching the water flow, Thomas explains he hoped to see a vision but was soon approached by Arnold who offered to take him to Denny’s. Thomas reminisced in his memory of going to Denny’s, showing his absorption of American culture. Thomas continues to explain his infatuation with traditional American food; he got two pancakes, two strips of bacon, and two eggs. Along with showing the assimilation to American culture, this flashback demonstrates the Native American’s spiritual connection to nature, something with historical significance. The presence of spirituality, current day assimilation to American culture, and strong community ties, through storytelling and flashbacks, bring the audience a thorough understanding of present day Native American
The dramatic-comedy Smoke Signals, a brilliant screenplay written by Sherman Alexie in 1998 and directed by Chris Eyre, inspired by Alexie 's book The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven which details Native American life. Alexie has “...always been fascinated with dreams and stories and flashing forward and flashing back and playing with conventions of time…”, as he stated in “Sending Cinematic Smoke Signals an Interview with Sherman Alexie”. Based on one of many short stories, Smoke Signals tells the humorous adventure of protagonists Victor and Thomas, two Native American boys living on the Coeur d 'Alene Reservation. Saved from a house fire by Victor’s father when he was an infant, …show more content…
Visiting Phoenix, Arizona Victor encounters Suzy Song, a Native American acquaintance of his father. “Sometimes he would give me a ride”, said Suzy, referencing Arnold, showing the closeness within the Native American community. Using flashbacks of Arnold offering to assist Suzy with her groceries, Alexie demonstrates how close Native American communities are. The intimacy of the Coeur d 'Alene Reservation can be witnessed by frequent community gatherings and close community ties. Telling Suzy, a story of fry bread Victor’s mother often made, he illustrates the hundred Native Americans who crave her well known fry bread. Although fry bread is a staple of Native American culture, Victor and Thomas convey their saturation with American culture through discussions of superheroes, and a story of Thomas’s trip to Denny’s. While sitting at a bridge, and watching the water flow, Thomas explains he hoped to see a vision but was soon approached by Arnold who offered to take him to Denny’s. Thomas reminisced in his memory of going to Denny’s, showing his absorption of American culture. Thomas continues to explain his infatuation with traditional American food; he got two pancakes, two strips of bacon, and two eggs. Along with showing the assimilation to American culture, this flashback demonstrates the Native American’s spiritual connection to nature, something with historical significance. The presence of spirituality, current day assimilation to American culture, and strong community ties, through storytelling and flashbacks, bring the audience a thorough understanding of present day Native American