How Is Tom Portrayed In The Prince Of Tides

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The Prince of Tides The Prince of Tides, directed by Barbra Streisand, is an emotional film that portrays sexual abuse, physical abuse and emotional abuse. The film demonstrated the Family Rules, Family Roles and the multifaceted relationship that occurs between survivors and perpetrators. Additionally, the film established the negative effects of trauma when survivors don’t seek help. The film conveys all three rules of a dysfunctional family. Don’t talk is strongly demonstrated with the family secret of the night the three convicts came into the house raped three of the family members and were killed by the family. Don’t Trust is established through the denial of events. The family pretended that events did not occur being forced to put …show more content…

Tom becomes the role of the clown causing further distance from emotional relationships. Sally (his wife) in a moment of desperation states “I'm trying to calculate the exact moment everything got so fucked up,” (Barbra Streisand &Andrew S. Karsch, Barbra Streisand,1991). Tom replies “I'm also worried the Braves are gonna finish last,” (Barbra Streisand &Andrew S. Karsch, Barbra Streisand,1991). Using humor to defuse feeling communicates that you are not taking the situation seriously. Being the clown angers the wife because her request for him to be present in their life is being …show more content…

Displaying Tom on a fishing boat with his father and children was a great example of the different views a person has on their perpetrator. Tom disliked his father for the angry drunk who abused his mother and siblings but, he loves his father enough because of the parental role he had in his life that he brings is children on a fishing trip where we observe them all having a great time. Tom idolizes the mother who cared for her family and resents the mother who mentally abuses him, manipulates and attacks him. Painting herself as an amazing woman is a point that frustrates Tom. Demonstrating the complexity of relationships is accurate to survivor perpetrator relationships Flashbacks are a symptom of unresolved trauma. Tom’s flashbacks from his childhood trauma are representative of what many clients experience. Traumatic Stress the Effects of Overwhelming Experience on Mind, Body, and Society, written by van der Kolk et. al states that “years even decades after the original trauma victims claim that their reliving experiences are as vivid as when the trauma first occurred,” (Van der Kolk et. al., 1996). The film accurately portrayed how a flashback would be perceived by a survivor of

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