Essay 3 Rough Draft

            “When a deep injury is done us, we never recover until we forgive” (Alan Paton). Thomas has mastered the concept that this quote, but two other characters in the movie Smoke Signals haven’t. Arnold and Victor both needed to learn how to forgive, however Arnold was never able to Victor has finally started to.

            Thomas has forgiven both Arnold and Victor. When Victor told Thomas, “Did you know that my father was the one that set your parent's house on fire? Did you know that my father beat my mother? Did you know that my father beat me too?” Thomas’ reply was, “All I know is that when your father left your mother lost you too.” He didn’t seem bothered at all by the news that Arnold was the one that started the fire that killed his parents; instead he decided to try to point out to Victor that him holding onto what his father did has hurt his mother. I believe this happened because Thomas had already forgiven whoever it was that had started the fire and since he had already forgiven there wasn’t any need to get upset about it being Arnold that had started the fire. Why get worked up about something that happened in the past, if you have already forgiven what had happened?

            Thomas has forgiven Victor during the movie. Growing up Victor had never been the nicest kid and definitely not towards Thomas. There were times when Victor would beat Thomas up or yell at Thomas for telling so many stories. Even though Victor treated Thomas that way, Thomas never seemed to hold it against Victor though. When Thomas’ grandmas says, “Don’t trust him now, he’s mean to you.” Thomas replies, “He wasn’t always mean.” This shows that Thomas has forgiven Victor for the way the way that Victor treated him. Thomas chose not to let it bother him and instead to look at the bigger picture. By looking at the bigger picture Thomas was able to understand why Victor acted the way that he did and Thomas didn’t hold it against him. Being able to forgive is one of Thomas’ strongest points. It has allowed him to be the happy, upbeat character that he is despite the loss of his parents and they way that he has been treated.

            “How do we forgive our fathers? Maybe in a dream. Do we forgive our fathers for leaving us too often, or forever, when we were little? Maybe for scaring us with unexpected rage, or making us nervous because there never seemed to be any rage there at all? Do we forgive our fathers for marrying, or not marrying, our mothers? Or divorcing, or not divorcing, our mothers? And shall we forgive them for their excesses of warmth or coldness? Shall we forgive them for pushing, or leaning? For shutting doors or speaking through walls? For never speaking, or never being silent? Do we forgive our fathers in our age, or in theirs? Or in their deaths, saying it to them or not saying it. If we forgive our fathers, what is left?” So the question is does Victor forgive Arnold, his father? By the end of the movie I believe that he has started the process of forgiving him. After Arnold leaving when Victor was 12 years old, Arnold’s drinking problem and the beatings it is not surprising that Victor has had a hard time forgiving.

            Through out the entire movie Victor’s pain, the pain caused by his father, is apparent. It isn’t until the very end of the movie that he starts to forgive. As he starts to forgive it seems that he has changed and is a little less grumpy. This is because he has started learning how to let go of all the pain that he’s kept bottled up inside. By learning the truth about his father from Susie and by Thomas pointing out how the cause of Arnold’s actions has negatively impacted Victor’s action; Victor has been able to start learning the lesson of forgiveness.

            One character that was never able to forgive was Arnold. He was never able to forgive himself for starting the fire that killed Thomas’ parents. “If you can't forgive and forget, pick one” (Robert Brault). That is just what Arnold did, he picked one. He picked to try to forget about what had happened. However by simply trying to just forget just makes it continue to haunt him. The way he chose to try to forget wasn’t a good way either. He chose to drunk until he was so drunk that noting matter. In short he became an alcoholic in hopes that it’d get rid of the guilt. Instead it just drove him both metaphorically and literally away from his family. If he hadn’t tried to forget and start drinking then maybe there was a chance that he’d still be living on the reservation and been able to be happy.

            Is forgiveness the best way to be able to heal? If Arnold had only chosen to forgive himself would he have been happier? Now that Victor has began to forgive his father will he be happier? I think so. Thomas is proof that forgiving people can make a person happier.