On The Waterfront Power Analysis

The misuse of power penetrates the very core of this movie. Money brought the foraging components between the gang and dockworkers bringing turmoil to the town of Hoboken. Throughout the film, power has brought the downfall of Johnny Friendly. This pulls him into a state of bankruptcy. The rambling of power eventually forces Charley to turn on Johnny Friendly, which ends up in the death of Charley. Johnny Friendly truly was power hungry only caring about himself, while benefiting from the dockworkers. Furthermore, proving there’s no true friends in the game of power, just the acquiring of power and the defense against their enemies. The dockworkers have specially choosing each day to work in harsh conditions and pays them one coin to work

portraying the continual misuse of power. On the Waterfront symbolizes the pigeons vs. hawks, money formulating the boundaries, and the church about the riveting fear of a society being controlled by a corrupt organization.
The pigeons symbolize the everyday innocent people trying to escape the hordes of the harsh lifestyle, while suffering the consequences of testifying against the mob.

“They got it made. Eat all they want— fly around like crazy—sleep side by side— and raise gobs of squabs” (On the Waterfront). Terry Malloy is a pure symbolism of the definition of a pigeon. Terry Malloy, is willing to care for the pigeons in Joey’s coop. Though he lures Joey to his death with pigeon, afterwards letting it fly free. Yet, from that point on Terry is seen next to the pigeon’s cage. Terry eventually, but slowly, realizes his relationship with mob makes him feel cage and controll. In many ways, Terry is a pigeon because he partly lives on the rooftops. In the whole film Terry is never seen in his apartment only on the roof. The imagery of Terry inside the cage, when he tends the birds, suggest this man is delicate and sensitive. The mob is symbolize as the hawks, which they disturb the coexistent of everyday life. They brought violence, terror and sorrow. “I go for this stuff. You know this city's full of hawks? There must be twenty thousand of 'em” (On the Waterfront). They perch on top of the big hotels and swoop down on the pigeons in the park. Sometimes the pigeons can be use for horrible jobs like to inform on the tasks of other pigeons. “But going in that church, I'd be stooling for you, Charley. You make a pigeon out of me.” (On the Waterfront). Every time one of the characters in the

movie uses the term stool pigeon or stool, Terry’s conflict boils to the surface.
Therefore, the primary development of the misuse of power is the proclaiming of fear.

A major component of fear would be money corrupting a society. “What does he think of these fellows wearing hundred-and-fifty-dollar suits and diamond rings—on your union dues and your kickback money? How does he feel about bloodsuckers picking up a longshoreman's work tab and grabbing twenty percent interest at the end of a week?” (On the Waterfront). Neither the father of Joey nor Terry would give a hint of who might have killed Edie’s brother. “Listen, I don't know nothing, I didn't see nothing, I ain't saying nothing. So why…” (On the Waterfront). Everyone in Brooklyn fears the mob; worrying that maybe someday they might be the next accident waiting. Even while Terry is fighting Johnny Friendly, the dockworkers are too selfish to help Terry fight. All the workers really care about getting to work for only a small amount of money. Each day the employees were chosen to work that day, if not you were just out luck. The mob controlles the positions they want the employees to work, so if they were still useful to them, they would give them the easiest job

ever.
Lastly, the symbolism of the church represents the safe haven for the people. Or so they thought. “Moose and Dugan come down the steps of the church. They do not realize they are being ambushed but the audience does. The goons leap out at them, and we see the effect of this action in the giant shadows across the face of the church, the flailing bats looming as large as telephone poles. “We hear the cries of pain, then groans” (On the Waterfront). Father Berry and Edie both want justice/truth of the murders of Joey and Timothy J. Dugan. Timothy eventually sums the courage to tell the information about what Johnny Friendly and his followers are doing. At times the truth can be difficult to find when power is being misused.
Power is the representation of how the characters develop throughout the film. Johnny Friendly brings more chaos and corruption each time he kills an innocent. The pigeons, hawks, fear and the church are all intertwined to form the foundation of a struggling society to gain equal pay and working opportunities. The disobedience towards Friendly will result in the termination of that dockworker, which is also a warning to the other workers that any one of them could be the next victim. Proving that power corrupts even the innocents trying to make them money or the satisfaction of having power.