When you love someone, you 've gotta trust them. There 's no other way. You 've got to give them the key to everything that 's yours. Otherwise, what 's the point? And for a while, I believed, that 's the kind of love I had” (Casino). Casino centers on Sam ‘Ace’ Rothstein, a gambler of legendary skill who is sent by the mob in the early 1970s to Las Vegas to manage its newly acquired Tangiers Hotel and Casino. Ace is an outsider among outsiders: a dispassionate, calculating, almost pitifully tender civilian among thugs. He’s a Jewish bookie sent by the mob to manage a Vegas casino and embezzle cash for the crime bosses back home. Even when he dons a flamboyant suit and runs patrol around the felt tables of his amoral arena, he looks unsatisfied. …show more content…
This brings to the table duality in the film as a major component of the psychological make-up of the characters, as each of the major players has a “darker” version of themselves. Ginger is an analogy of Las Vegas. She’s beautiful on the outside but tormented and corrupt on the inside. Like the tourists who come to Las Vegas, she’s attracted to the opportunities that await her. When she meets Sam, she sees this as her perfect opportunity to forget about the hardships and financial struggles that she’d endure on the outside. With Sam, he’s entranced by Ginger’s beauty and spirit—she’s a woman who knows what she wants and in a way, is very reminiscent of himself. However, he is so consumed by this notion of romantic love that he fails to realize that these feelings are not shared. She cannot give him what he wants. He’s a jealous man who feels the need to control everything that she does. It is partially due to this that leads Ginger spiraling down a path of self-destruction when she gets heavily involved with drugs and alcohol. Tired of his wife 's alcoholism, Sam seeks a divorce from Ginger. However, she 's insistent on getting her share of their wealth, which makes Ace reconsider the divorce. Whereas Ginger suffers from an actual addiction, Sam’s addiction is Ginger. She’s his own personal drug. When he …show more content…
All that the audience can hear at first are muffled indiscernible murmurs as it drifts through the bedroom creeping up on Sam in the dead of the night. One can make two inferences immediately based on the voice of the person on the phone and that person’s tone; one, that it is indeed Ginger, and two, that whatever she is saying and whoever she is speaking to, it was never meant for Sam’s ears. Ginger’s phone conversation is hard to make-out, and yet becomes a bit more audible as certain words and phrases (“I can’t take it, why should I take it?”) start to emerge. Sam silently opens the door to the room Ginger is in. As he stealthily walks closer, the words, “Yes I want him killed” are heard as the camera cuts over to Ginger; when Sam knows and is able to confirm what Ginger is plotting against him, the attention shifts to her. As Ace confronts her, the camera changes to a high angle that makes Ace look huge and Ginger small and almost child-like, showing their place in their relationship. Ace has power over Ginger, whereas Ginger is powerless. Does Sam proceed to drag Ginger across the bedroom when he slams her against the wall of the closet, as they argue Sam tells Ginger, “You never even loved me in the first place” while Ginger yells “Love you? How could I love you? You treat me like I’m your dog!” We as the audience have followed Sam up to this point and now must watch as he
Additionally, although proclaiming his love for her, Lester becomes a negative influence on Kathy. Under the false sense of security he provides, Kathy, a recovering alcoholic, allows herself to start drinking again after an abstinence of three ye...
The relationship between Brenda and alcohol is quickly grasped, as she is experiencing a hangover at the beginning of the story. When Brenda tells her mother, “I have a headache and I think I’m getting car sick,” she tries to blame the car ride for her nausea, even though she knows the truth behind her physical condition (Vande Velde 5). Because even though Brenda shares her alcoholic tendencies as the narrator, she hides them from those within her family. Brenda’s affiliation with alcohol is further unraveled as she reveals, “sometimes my parents let me have half a glass of wine with dinner” (Vande Velde 31). This type of behavior from her parents helps Brenda to condone and minimize the problem of her underage drinking. This is irresponsible of Brenda’s parents and affects her outlook on the seriousness of alcohol use. Once home alone Brenda takes a bath with her “wine on the edge of the tub” and states that she feels, “savvy and downright sophisticated” (Vande Velde 32). This feeling of sophistication that Brenda derives from the wine only stimulates her urge to drink even more. The full extent of Brenda’s problem is clearly perceived when her mother discovers her fake ID. Disappointed in her daughter, Brenda’s mom starts, “crying, soundlessly, tears pouring down her cheeks” (Vande Velde 58). This discovery of her fake ID is another obstacle propelling Brenda and her mother apart as Brenda dissatisfies her parents yet
Las Vegas symbolizes the American Dream and shows the corruption of society. When Duke and his Attorney, Dr. Gonzo, are at the Merry-Go-Round Bar, Dr. Gonzo expresses that the counter-culture of Las Vegas is getting to him. Duke struggles to accept what his Attorney says because he desires the Las Vegas lifestyle. Duke explains to Dr. Gonzo that they cannot leave Las Vegas, “…we’re right in the vortex [and] you want to quit….you must realize...that we’ve found the main nerve’” (Thompson 47-48), but Dr. Gonzo has already realized “…that’s what gives [him] the Fear” (Thompson 48). Duke and his Attorney thought that once they were in Las Vegas, the American Dream would be remarkable; but they realize that the American Dream is not magnificent, there are downsides to it. Witnessing how society acts in the “main nerve” of the American Dream, Dr. Gonzo is stricken with fear because he knows the American Dream is not benefitting him. When Duke looks back at his memories of his journey in...
Unfortunately, her dream was shattered by her dominant and sexually driven brother-in-law. This passage serves to address the revelation of the protagonist’s phony facade. Williams utilizes dramatic irony, stage direction, and dialogue to depict the unravelment of her character.
...ain is to cheat with an officer who is supposed to help with Susie’s case. The professional relationship between officer and citizen changes into a toxic relationship based on lust and foolishness, as Abigail relies on an unknown man to release her emotions that either she could not control on her own or trust with her husband. To conclude, the despair felt from all characters in the novel have a significant role in ruining relationships.
The casino kept offering different things and after this she was unable to refuse. She was offered anything she wanted, the casino would negotiate any request. At one point Bachmann had walked away from all the gambling, but soon after her parents passed away she returned to the casino and there she was seduced into coming back. After her inheritance, she had told Harrah’s that she was almost out of money, but they told her to come anyway. The casino told her, they would give her a line of credit to start off with. Bachmann ended up borrowing a total of about $125,000. Bachmann eventually lost everything she and her family had, including their family home. Bachmann tried to win back the money she was losing but she wasn't able to. Bachmann wasn't able to repay the money back to the casino and the casino then sued her. Bachmann was then found guilty for her gambling habit. You see if the casino wouldn’t have encouraged Bachmann to continue gambling and offer her money to play it, perhaps she wouldn’t have lost all that she owned. The casino kept seducing her to come in, making it impossible for her to refuse. Bachmann was enjoying all the perks her gambling addiction was able to get
The climax is illustrated and clarified through the symbolic tearing or exposing of the bare walls. She wants to free the woman within, yet ends up trading places, or becoming, that "other" woman completely. Her husband's reaction only serves as closure to her psychotic episode, forcing him into the unfortunate realization that she has been unwell this whole time.
...ms as though they are only dating, by the little flirtatious and tackling games they play. However, reality strikes as the newlyweds love was put to test and soon the readers find out they are actually newlyweds. The theme of appearance and reality is also demonstrated with Otis Slemmons. He portrays himself to be a wealthy man; by the way he carries himself around the town. However, reality strikes as readers come to find out that he actually is just putting on a show.
The city becomes the sinful place where he pursues his mistresses. In common Suburban households, the home can become just a place for the man to rest from his big important job in the city while the wife is there to cater to him and maintain the house. This stereotype is very apparent in the beginning of the movie with the relationship between Mark and Kate King. Carly, the first mistress, becomes the opposite of Kate because she works, she is single, and is much more self-assured than Kate is. Carly represents the city and the benefits it has on women. Kate quit her job and became a stay at home wife in order to focus Mark’s job. This aspect of Mark shows the controlling nature over his wife and she must remain below him at all times. His relationship to Carly although more equal quickly comes to an end when he is forced to choose his wife over her. Once Kate finds out that her husband is having an affair she has a meltdown because in her suburban lifestyle she has nothing without her husband. The woman’s role in suburbia is completely attached to that of the husband. Without him in the picture, the wife is not able to fulfill her normal duties. The beginning of the film highlights the dependency wives feel they have to their husband. The dependency on the husbands allows for a certain freedom that the husband holds because his wife will always
Compared with other faux pas such as cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption, gambling is a relatively new and legal outlet for people to abuse leading to self-harm, maladaptive family structures and an eventual strain on society. While gaming has been around since the beginning of time, the last thirty years has brought about new and more aggressive marketing and with it has come new set of problems. The new world of gambling is orientated around continuous and rapid mass consumption (slot machines) focused primarily upon individuals betting in increasingly socially dislocated environments (Adams). Communities with gaming centers, race-tracks, and casino’s are often located in the poorest parts of cities and suburbs. In the United States, racial and ethnic minorities are among the groups most at risk for gambling problems (Wiggins). A random-digit-dial telephone survey revealed that 8% of Hispanics were pathological gamblers, which is four times higher than the 1.8% rate for Whites (Wiggins). From a social exchange point of view we have to ask ourselves if the risk of increased social disruption outweighs the rewards of local economy stimulation. Is it acceptable to harm the social fabric by increasing crime, bankruptcies, and social pathologies? (Chhabra)
Harry, a middle-class addict who is constantly affecting the trust and property of his mother Sara Goldfarb, is in what seems to be a dream-like, drug-induced romance with Marion. The novel begins with Harry taking his mothers television set, this being a monthly routine, to pawn it for drug money. Harry, Marion, and Tyrone C. Love share one of the same dreams as Tyrone states in the novel: "We could double our money. Easy We wont get stung out and blow it. We/d be cool and take care a business and in no time we/d get a pound of pure and jest sit back and count the bread" (9). Their ambitions are simple, obtain a "pound of pure", a significant amount of heroin, and sell it, save the money without blowing it on their own needs, and eventually be well off in the business. Each character has a different plan for their money. Harry and Sara to start a small coffee shop, and Tyrone to get established in "the business". The "pound of pure" later in the story becomes a metaphor for their dream, or a general concept of their ideal happiness. All four characters including Sara are looking to obtain a "pure" degree of happiness. And each in their own way will go to great lengths to obtain it.
Without realizing it, she has created a struggle between a friend in whom she can confide but cannot love like a husband and a husband whom she can love as such, but in whom she cannot confide. The saddest part of the story, and the part which finally shows the consequences of the wife 's ineptitude, is the final scene. Upon awakening from a stoned slumber, she finds her blindman, her confidant, sharing a close conversation with her husband, her greatest desire, as they draw a picture of a Cathedral together. Her makes her jealousy evident when she exclaims, “What are you doing? Tell me, I want to know...What 's going on?” like a child shouting to be heard (Carver 193). Her desperate tone stems form the fact that she must observe her heart 's greatest desire occur before her eyes, but from the side lines. She so desperately desires to become a part of the relationship forming between her husband and the blind man, but she cannot. Once again she falls behind, this time spiritually as her husband experiences a revelation, while she remains in the dark. The husband realizes the importance letting people “in” ones life at the blind man 's words, “Put some people in there now. What 's a Cathedral without people,” but the wife does not (193). Obsessed with becoming a part of their conversation, she completely overlooks the relevance of the
Faced with a seemingly unwinnable case, Sam vows to fight the legal system and forms an unlikely alliance with Rita Harrison (Michelle Pfeiffer), a high-powered, self-absorbed attorney who initially takes his case pro bona as a challenge from her colleagues. On the surface the two couldn't be further apart, but in reality they are subtly similar. Sam's compulsive nature mirrors Rita's more socially acceptable obsessive-compulsive nature. Her manic need for perfection and success alienates her from her own son and has been slowly destroying her self-worth.
One major theme of the movie is thing aren’t always as they appear . The major character Briony in many instances misinterprets what she has witnessed and these misunderstanding ruin the life of the people she cares the most about. The first misunderstanding took place in her back yard where she finds her elder her sister played by Kiera Knightley undressing and jumping into a fountain .in front of her garden taker Robbie played by James McAvoy. Briony’s wild imagination allows her to believe Robbie and Cecilia were having a lover’s quarrel. When actually, Robby just broke the most expensive piece of china they owed and Cecilia jumped in to the fountain to retrieve the broken piece. This is exacerbated when Briony later intercepts an erotic letter written by Robbie, intended for Cecilia’s eyes only. This letter and the fact that she caught Robby and her sister having sexual relations in the library, makes Robbie appear to be “sex maniac”. So later on when her cousin Lola Quincy was raped she automatically assumes it to be the sex crazed gardener.
The article begins with Anthony Curtis who is a blackjack conqueror. He is a regular gambler at the Binion's Horseshoe tables in Las Vegas. He was once a rugby player turned publishing guru of the Huntington Press. He states right off that the dealers are crabby and tough in Vegas but this doesn't stop his science towards blackjack and his flirting with a cute dealer. He won the Match-Play Blackjack Championship in 1987 by card counting and having the ability to track many events going on at once.