In what ways do the main characters struggle with culture, family, or identity?
Throughout this movie, we realize that both Thomas and Victor are two completely different people with different thoughts and views of the world. They are essentially one in the same as they are both Native Americans living on a Indian reservation trying to find themselves as who they truly are. It was unfortunate to find out that Thomas had lost his parents at a very young age making it a little difficult for him to grow up with a normal family. A mother and father to go home to everyday after school, or having someone to go up to in order to ask anything that is on your mind. His only family was his grandmother and his cousin Victor as well as his aunt and uncle. However, his relationship with Victor was not the best making it a little difficult for them to really bond as family. Thomas did have a good relationship with Victor's father in which he would constantly tell stories reminiscing the times that they had spent together, one of his favorites was the time that they had gone to Denny's.
Victor is a whole other story. Although he had both of his parents, it seemed as though he had none while he was growing up only because they were constantly drinking making it seem as if they were absent from his life. His parents loved him very much but Victor seemed to feel otherwise. It seemed as though he was extremely angry with how his parents were with him or were not with him. He took out his anger by beating up on Thomas anytime he were to ask him questions that would trigger his anger even more. Victor's life was extremely different compared to Thoma's, in fact they were the complete opposite. Thomas was very happy and calm and loved to tell stories regardless of being true or not. Victor on the other hand lived with a closed mind, everything was a bother for him with so much anger bottled up in him because of his father leaving him and his mom.
Victor and Thomas and different views to what Indians are. It's as if they did not know exactly how an Indian should be. Thomas was all about telling the stories and engaging with other people in order to create a friendship where as Victor was they type of Indian that would want you to feel fear. The bad Indian in order to get what ever it is that he wanted. These views were very different from each other in which it made it difficult for them to understand more of their cultural backgrounds as to who they truly are.
I agree with you in that Thomas and Victor did not agree on how an Indian should act. Thomas was the storyteller. Victor was the type of Indian that wanted you to feel fear. I think that Victor and Thomas having such hard lives as children could have possibly helped them come closer together on the trip to Pheonix. I think that they realized that they had some of the same or similar struggles as children. This mad it easier for them to get along after the trip.
ReplyDeleteIt was amazing that Victor and Thomas perception on what makes them Indians were so different. I guess I shouldn’t be so surprised because both of them did see the world in different ways. Did the way that they came into the world change them in two different directions? How can two boys raised in the same area and have the same beliefs (I assume) come out with such different conclusions? Neither of them had a father and was raised by a mother or a mother figure and yet still be so different.
ReplyDeleteI guess if one did feel that he wasn’t worth being saved that would change your perception, but Victor seemed to be raised by a caring and loving mother. When see realized how the drinking was affecting Victor she stopped.