In the movie “Smoke Signals,” the scene where Arnold leaves his home and family for good demonstrates his existential crisis resulting from the deep guilt of accidentally killing his friend. After the fire that he starts kills Thomas’ parents, Arnold cuts his hair off. As an Indian, his hair is a symbol of respect and his heritage. Cutting it all off shows that he has does something to lose respect for himself and does not deserve respect from his people. He also becomes a violent alcoholic because he is so tortured by this guilty secret. He drunkenly hits his young son, Victor, in the face when he accidentally spills his beer. In the last scene when he leaves, he goes speeding away in his truck. When little Victor runs after him and jumps on the back of the truck, Arnold stops the truck, gets out, and hugs his son crying, then puts him down and drives away for good. This tearful embrace symbolizes a deep inner crisis. These conflicting actions of angrily driving away for good and stopping to tearfully hug his son one last time show that he does not wish to abandon his family. He cares deeply for them, but needs to sort out his inner struggle and forgive himself before he can return and be a loving, adequate husband and father. He is running away not because he does not love his family anymore, but because he does not know or like who he is or what he has become. By running away from his home and his family, he is hoping to run away from his problems, forget his past mistakes and past life, and find himself spiritually in another place. He cannot be around his loved ones anymore for fear he might hurt them even more than he already has. He has already killed his friends in a fire and physically abused his wife and child. Arlene, Arnold’s wife, lets him go and holds Victor so he cannot chase after his father. Even if she still loves him, she hates how distant and angry he has become. She screams and allows him to leave her because she feels it is in her whole family’s best interest. She holds Victor back because she loves him and wants his father to leave not because she thinks Arnold does not love Victor, but because she knows he must re-discover himself and his happiness before he can be a good father to their child. She also has had enough with his alcoholism and how it effects their family. We see this in the scene where Victor angrily smashes all of the beers after seeing his parents belligerently drunk. Arlene is overcome with sadness that they have hurt their son and anger that they have disappointed him. She screams at Arnold and kicks the bed he is sleeping in and tells him “No more! We can’t do this anymore.” As Victor gets older, Arlene stops drinking but Arnold continues to drink more and more. She tries desperately to stop him from taking money from her purse to buy booze and he strikes her hard in the face. She does not give up and stands up and yells “hit me again,” showing that no matter how much he bullies her, she will never give in and support his destructive habits. Her family is more important to her.