Essay 3 Workshop

What role does forgiveness play in Smoke Signals? 

In the movie “Smoke Signals,” forgiveness plays a major role in the theme of this movie. The 

very end of the movie I think contains one of the most insightful statements about the nature of 

forgiveness. It’s a move based on family and brokenness and how even anger, alcoholism, and 

hurt still can’t compare with love. It can’t compete. True and unconditional love cannot be 

defeated. I think the overall reflection of forgiveness in this move moves on toward the personal 

areas along with larger political and social areas. 

When Victor is told that this father has died in Arizona, he and Thomas have to make the long 

journey by bus and on foot to go and get his father’s truck and personal belongings. During this 

trip Victor and Thomas learn a lot about each other and more about Victor’s father, not only the 

demons he battled, but also about the love that he had for his son. At one point during the end of 

the movie Thomas asks Victor, “So why did you dad leave?” and Victor replies, “He didn’t mean 

to Thomas.” And the Victor begins to do what he was to do to grieve his father’s death and ask 

the question about forgiveness. The movie addresses the important questions of why we hurt the 

people we love and if we can or should be forgiven? 

The move begins with fire and flames and ends with the waterfalls over the bridge. I this 

symbolizes forgiveness. You see fire and flames which can relate to hurt and anger and then you 

see the beautiful waterfalls which could be symbolizing the cleanliness and washing away of all 

the anger and hurt and alcoholism and brokenness that seems to be all through out this movie. 

It’s sort of similar to the washing away of all the bad and showing something beautiful, like 

forgiveness. 

This movie I think explores forgiveness between family members and also in cultural and 

historical areas as well. For example, how could a race of native people forgive generations of 

the stereotyping and for allowing their family and grandparents to allow it happen if you think 

about it in such a way it can go in either direction. It’s difficult to contemplate forgiveness when 

you’re paralyzed by fear. Going a little off subject I believe that we are not to pass judgement on 

our bothers and sisters (referring to other human beings) and to “forgive our brothers and sisters 

from our hearts” (Matthew 18:21). So a lot of people may ask the questions in a society based 

forgiveness that can be illustrated in this movie about forgiving terrorists, rapists and murderers, 

liars, thieves, people along these lines. For some people forgiveness is not always an easy thing 

especially depending on the actions a person has made. Again, for example, people who abuse 

and mistreat children or alcoholics who refuse to recognize the damage they cause to their 

families, those who participate in rape and molestation and things like that destroy trust and love 

aren’t really helped when forgiveness comes easily with no consequences for their actions 

especially when actions such as these are continually repeated. 

I think a question this movie brings about is how do we see to get past our pain and hurt, fear and 

wounds, and realize that to be forgiven we must forgive others. Although the movie did clearly 

state the fact about forgiving our fathers, which is forgiving others it also throws out when is it 

necessary to seek forgiveness ourselves and not only in family or other people. I think mostly 

everyone can recall a time in their lives where their own parents, neighbors, family members, 

friends, somebody has a story with hurt and pain somewhere for whatever reason, could be 

regrets, lessons to be learned, rejection, things that meant great value to us that were taken or 

maybe given away, words that were said to us, sometimes not meaning anything to someone else 

but so powerful in our ears and has in some way determined the course of our lives whether it’s 

the fact that you’ve gotten past these things and decided to be something bigger or you’re still 

hurt and in fear because of these things as so you’re not living up to your full potential. I think 

forgiveness has a lot to do with everything here and the movie explains it very well. 

In the last line in the movie it says “If we forgive our fathers, what is left?” After we forgive 

someone who has repeatedly and deeply hurt us, what’s left? What is forgiveness going to do for 

us, is it going to cause us to come to terms with ourselves. How does the act of forgiveness 

cleanse and transform us? These are things I believe are being asked. And I think that when we 

forgive others, we can forgive ourselves. When we forgive people who hurt us we can say to 

ourselves, I’m bigger than this and I’m not going to let it affect my life because in reality, hurt 

people hurt people. And because Victor was so hurt, he put his anger and pain on other people 

like his mother and Thomas and his father. And when he’s willing and able to forgive, the pain 

that was once inside has now vanished and he can no longer continue hurting other people.

So the movie “Smoke Signals” really does bring about a lot more then just the act of forgiveness 

but in different realms, personal, political and social and why forgiveness is so crucial to our 

lives and what it can really do when we choose to face the acts of forgiveness.