Understanding

The importance of forgiveness for Victor in Smoke Signals was the act of understanding.  I believe that he couldn't forgive his father because he didn't understand why he did the things he did, why he abused him, and abandoned him.  He probably blamed himself to a certain extent and he a lot of hatred toward his father.  He also realized in the end that forgiving him freed him of everything that was holding him back in growth and in life.

When Arnold became an alcoholic after saving Thomas's life from the fire, it didn't really make sense.  He had just saved someone's life and instead of acting like a hero he was acting like a failure.  Once Victor realized that his father is the one that started the fire by lighting a firework he understood that his father had to live with all that guilt of being responsible for the death of two people for all of those years.  He not only had to live with the guilt, but he was praised for it.  Guilt is one of the worst things a person could feel and I think that once it all made sense to Victor and he had all the answers he then was able to finally take the next step and forgive his father.

Victor seemed depressed in the movie, he was distant and he shut down emotionally. This is probably due to his fathers actions and the fact that he blamed himself in some way.  When your parents have no self worth, usually your kids won't either because they internalize it.  Children want to believe the best in their parents and sometimes that means that they're being blindsided by the truth. Victor didn't show that he blamed himself, he showed nothing but hatred toward his father.  He also probably felt like he was never good enough because of the way his father treated him that day in the truck, and he might feel like if he were better than he would have stayed. This was what the unknown did to Victor before he knew the truth.

Finally, when Victor was able to forgive his father it freed him of all his shortcomings.  He was able to move on with his life and start focusing on himself as a person rather than trying to figure out his past childhood.  It was like closure for Victor, he finally got that none of it was his fault. He understood that his father didn't just make bad choices because he wanted to but something severe actually happened to him that I'm sure no one could ever imagine having happened to them. Although, it doesn't excuse his behavior it makes sense of it all and perhaps if Victor can forgive him, he can forgive himself as well.

Forgiveness is extremely important because if you can forgive someone than you can move on and you don't have to hold on to that disappointment, hurt, and pain.  I do believe in second chances and everyone should get one. In Victor's case it took understanding in order for him to forgive. You can't truly forgive someone if you don't know precisely what it is your forgiving them for.  It was better for everyone in the end when the truth came out and Victor found an understanding and meaning of his life through forgiveness.