The 3-Act Paradigm at Work: Smoke Signals

written by Sherman Alexie

Smoke Signals is a buddy, road story about a Native American son who learns to forgive his abusive, alcoholic father.

Structural Analysis

  1. Hook (1 min.)
    • The parents of Thomas, the narrator, are killed in a fire on the Bicentennial 4th of July. Thomas, a baby, is rescued by Arnold, the alcoholic father of the protagonist, Victor.
  2. Complication (8 min.)
    • Victor's dad, who left when he was a kid, dies, and Victor must go to Phoenix to settle his affairs.
  3. Call to Action (15 min.)
    • Victor accepts Thomas' offer to pay for the trip to Phoenix in exchange for being able to go along. They head out.
  4. Act One Plot Point (31, 40 min.)
    • The narrative tells parallel stories in present and past tenses. In the flashback narrative, Arnold leaves his family, despite Victor's begging his father to stay. Victor and Thomas arrive in Phoenix (present tense narrative, 40 min.).
  5. Midpoint Plot Point (58-60 min.)
    • From Suzi, Arnold's neighbor in Phoenix, Victor learns that his father started the fire that killed Thomas' parents. Arnold also ran back into the burning house to save Victor. In the present tense, Victor finally enters his father's trailer and settles affairs.
  6. Act Two Plot Point (69 min.)
    • Victor and Thomas are in a wreck driving Arnold's pickup back to the reservation in Idaho. There are charges of assault against Victor.
  7. Climax and Resolution (77-82 min.)
    • Victor gives Thomas some of his father's ashes. He forgives his father. He puts his ashes in the falls at Spokane.

Notes

Smoke Signals gets much of its charm from a gentle satire of the place of contemporary Indians in American culture. Victor and Thomas are contrasts, the more cynical and more magical modes of "being Indian." The parallel narrative lines, in flashback and present tense, develop seamlessly together, keeping the focus on the relationship between Victor and his abusive father and on the relationship between the two friends.

MODULE 4: SCREENWRIGHT: the craft of screenwriting

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