One of the important differences between the movie `Smoke Signals' and the short story `This is what it means to say Phoenix, Arizona' is the presence of the Fourth of July fire that burns down the house and kills both of Thomas's parents. This fire gives the movie several important characteristics that are absent in the short story. It builds Thomas's character and gives reason for Susie Song's character, more so represents the theme of the effect on Victor of his absent father, and in turn, these two arguments form the basis for Thomas and Susie's attempt to try to turn Victor's perception of his father around.

The characters of Thomas Builds-the-Fire and Susie Song are influenced and shaped by the Fourth of July fire in the movie. It builds Thomas's character in that he is a perceptive storyteller. According to the movie, Thomas is "born from smoke...