The biggest difference between the movie and written version would have to be the absence of the fire in the written version. The fire was really the basis of the movie . It was the cause of the tragedies in the characters lives. Especially for Victor and Arnold, they suffered the most from the fire. It caused of the guilt and shame Arnold carried because he couldnt save his friends from the fire. That guilt led him to become an alcoholic who eventually left his young son and wife to try to leave all those memories behind. It was also the cause for Victor to have an absent father, a boy left with awful memories of a drunken man who beat his mother and him self, unable to understand why his father left. And there was Thomas who also lost a father and a mother to that fire, left for his grandmother to raise him.
The absence of that fire in the written story changed the story dramatically. You don’t feel that sense of tragedy and heartbreak like you did in the movie. It also changed the relationship between Victor and Thomas. They didn’t have that connection with each other through that awful fire that changed both of their lives. In the written version, they were just mere acquaintances, and kids that grew up together on the reservation. At one point in the reading Victor asked Thomas if he remembered his father Arnold, which seemed strange after seeing the movie because Thomas thought Arnold was a hero and talked about him all the time.
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Hi Kelly,
ReplyDeleteI like your point about the fire adding “tragedy and heartbreak” in the movie. It certainly serves as a plot catalyst in the movie. It alters the plot and pushes the story ahead, and it adds a dramatic twist at the end when we realize Victor’s dad is the person responsible for the deaths of Thomas’ parents.
This difference seems to highlight a big difference between audience expectations in films versus short stories. There’s a way the movie has to be more dramatic and entertaining than a short story has to be, if commercial success is desired. You have me wondering if Alexie prefers one of these versions over the other.
Thanks for these points to think about.
Lauren :)
i agree with you. the fire is a vivid point that is a basis for many points throught the movie.
ReplyDeleteHi Kelly, I agree with you that the fire is a major basis of the movie. The fire scene allowed us to understand Author, and give us the ability to understand Thomas and Victors relationship. The fire gives the article more hope, a better understanding of where the boys have came from and the struggles they will face in the future.
ReplyDeleteHi Kelly,''I agree with you that the fire was the main theme in the movie and how it showed the tragedy it brought to a lot of people. The relationship that the two characters have to struggle with.
ReplyDeleteI really like you the point you made about the meaning of fire. Your writing has also helped me realize that "fire" is a major part of this film because "fire" is the cause of everything. I really enjoyed your writing because you made some strong points. This also shows a major difference from the film and the story.
ReplyDeletei agree with you that the fire was a huge part in the movie and a major theme. i also agree that without that part in the book that it really takes away the heartbreak and what those boys went through
ReplyDeleteso here it is a second time. i am really not happy with computers.
ReplyDeletei am going to disagree with you about two things in "SmokeSignals". the first is that arnold was always a drunk. he did not start after the father burned down the house. Infact that was the reason for the house burning down. the second thing was that arnold in my opinion was not a abuser to his family. i only remember one place where he pushed his wife and that was when he was leaving. we cant make this assumption with such little information.