Interpersonal relationships are a potent entity that wildly flutter, like a liberated pigeon, through the miserable docks of Elia Kazan’s 1954 film ‘On the Waterfront,’ shaping the moral metamorphosis of protagonist Terry Malloy – from an analysts perspective, the ‘power’ source of the film. Terry’s voyage from an inarticulate and diminished “bum” to a gallant “contender,” is the pedestal that the film gyrates around, however, it is palpable that Terry – a man branded with his primitive mores - is not equipped of emancipating himself from the self-preservative cycle of “D and D” singlehandedly. Therefore, the catalytic, moral facilitation of inspirational outsiders - Edie Doyle and Father Barry – are essential to the rewiring of Terry’s conscience and his propulsion into “testifying what is right against what is wrong.” However, rapports do not simply remain ‘strong’ and stable for the entire duration of the film – they fluctuate. Terry shuffles closer to the side of morality each scene, portrayed by the simultaneous deterioration of Terry’s intertwinement with Johnny Friendly and “the mob” and intensification of his romantic involvement with Edie and confidence in Father Barry. Relationships fuel and glorify Terry’s powerful, audience-enthralling journey to morality.
Nestled under the ‘hawkish’ wing of Johnny Friendly, the beginning of the film sees Terry Malloy a daft “bum,” too preoccupied by “standing with the right people, just to have a bit of change jingling in his pocket” to deeply contemplate morality. Tainted by a distressing antiquity, Terry Malloy has habituated to a ‘dog-eat-dog’ world of Darwinian ‘survival of the fittest,’ where “taking it out on their skulls” is the appropriate method of resolution. “Its eve...
... middle of paper ...
...y. These factors, coupled with the incorporation of the heart-melting cheekbones of ‘Marlon Brando’ at his prime are more likely to have screamed ‘power’ in the eyes of a 1950’s audience, let alone the viewer of today. Also, the fact that ‘On the Waterfront’ mirrors Elia Kazan’s real-life decision to testify to the HUAC magnifies its validity to human nature and overall potency.
As he trudges across the docks towards the unfamiliar, suit-clad man looming like utopia in the distance, Terry Malloy is clearly a product of his relationships. His rapport-catalyzed metamorphosis from a follower of Johnny Friendly to a genuine “contender” is profoundly powerful, however the ending is bleak – with corruption still lingering as the gate slides closed behind the men, engulfing them into another cycle of exploitation as Bernstein’s music reaches a haunting shrill.
The final, and mostimportant, literary aspect is that of temporal relations. McPhee uses thisaspect todraw comparisons between the former state of Atlantic City andthe presentstate of the area. The historical facts and stories have basicallyno relevanceto the game of Monopoly and serve only to enhance the overallpurpose of theessay which is that of the city. Although the story CharlesDarrow does providesome history of the game of Monopoly, in the end thishistorical fact is usedto support the contrast between the old and presentcity. In the old city,a simple plumber like Darrow had a chance to oneday have his bust in frontof the bank. In today’s Atlantic city, however,the people carry a senseof hopelessness in that this is not possible.
When Terry Malloy was first introduced, he did not make any indications that he would strive for the respect that he gained throughout the story. His tough-guy behavior and compassionate attitude has made him what he is: a hero. He never revealed what he was truly made of or what he was capable of. He always had low self-esteem about himself—repeatedly calling himself a “bum.” Despite his stubbornness to change and his ignorance to others, Malloy proves himself by doing what he knows is right to be a true hero.
...f one defies the natural law and strives to recover the loss, he or she is already on the road to a tragic end. More ironically, the efforts draw the character farther from what they wanted; the rape made Blanche even less credulous, the funeral made Willy even less respected, the request made Gatsby less favorable by Daisy. All three modernist pieces presented false beliefs about life and showed the consequences of obeying those believe. The consequences revealed a bloody truth – the loss of the hope cannot be recovered. What is lost is already the past; only the future can be earned by the hard work done in the present.
An obvious difference in these films is that the 1931 version played to a Depression audience and that the Coppola version played to a modern audience. (I am being extremely careful because, obviously, the 1931 audience was modern in 1931; however, we like to think of ourselves as being more modern than past generations. There are differences in the audiences which viewed the respective versions in their time, and I hope to prove this point as the paper unfolds.)
The legacy of fear did not stop when the Trumbo’s name appeared in the credits for Spartacus and Exodus. Five years later the black list ended, Kenneth McGowan’s influential Behind the Screen: The History and Techniques of the Motion Picture was published. There is not a word in the book that offers her slightest hint that there ever had been a HUAC, a blacklist, or the Hollywood Ten. The two chapters on censorship deal exclusively with the control of sexual imagery and language in...
The tendency to go soft on McCarthyism has been evident in popular culture as well. The presentation of a special Lifetime Achievement Award to director Elia Kazan at the 1999 Oscar ceremony is the most flagrant and controversial example. Another example of the current vogu...
When reading Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown” or Herman Melville’s “Bartleby the Scrivener,” the audience might notice how they are stories of men who become detached from the society after a notable change in how they act towards the world. However, while Bartleby’s disconnection stems from work-related changes, Young Goodman Brown’s disconnection is caused by a “spiritual” experience. I want to focus on how many things these characters have in common, to show what may have caused their change of view in the societies around them.
Lehan, Richard. "The Grotesque End Product of the American Dream." In Readings on The Great Gatsby. edited by Katie de Koster. San Diego, California: Greenhaven Press. 1998. 104-110.
The film On the Waterfront directed by Elia Kazan set in the 1950's and based on a true story follows Terry, an ex-boxer surrounded by a cruel world full of greed and corruption who turns longshoreman. It is Terrys difficult choice as to where his loyalty lies and whether he is to stand up against his brutal boss Johnny Friendly or stay 'Deaf and Dumb' a code the people of the waterfront live by. Throughout the film Terrys views change because of the different people who influence him, but by the end of the film his loyalty lies elsewhere to where it began. At the beginning of the film Terry feels obliged to have respect and loyalty towards Johnny Friendly and his brother because they are family, with Friendly acting as the father figure he
In modern society, laws, rules and values limit humans from committing crimes and keep civilization in order. However, it is said that all human beings have the innate capacity for evil. When these laws are taken away, humans reveal their innate savagery and flawed nature by committing inhumane acts. In William Golding’s “Lord of the Flies,” this primal instinct of savagery is presented through the development of one of the main characters Jack. As the novel progresses, Golding uses Jack as a symbol to show how the instinct of savagery and the desire for power that exists within all humans is stronger than any moral values that society may instill. This is shown through Jack’s progressive obsession with hunting the pig and the authority that
We see the shadow of lavishness and opulence trying to blanket itself over the presence of poverty during the 1920’s through the eyes of fallible narrator Nick Carraway, who works as an only moderately successful broker at Wall Street during its more prosperous times. Nick is thrown into a whirlwind of affairs and secrets ...
No two people are exactly alike, but they can be similar in many ways. Not only can they share the same features and characteristics, but they can also harness the same qualities and values. People who are kind, brave, noble, and honest often think alike, just as the evil and hateful. Kindred spirits can also be prevalent in those who have never met before and never will. Even without the other person being present, the question, “what would he/she do,” always comes into play when faced with a difficult situation. This question is crucial to Santiago, an old fisherman battling a marlin in the middle of the sea. Thinking of his legendary baseball hero, Joe DiMaggio, gives the man faith that he can conquer his strife. In Ernest Hemingway’s, “The Old Man and the Sea,” Santiago compares himself to DiMaggio by discussing their similar backgrounds, reflecting on DiMaggio’s physical struggle, and resolving to reign victorious.
Moby Dick is the tale of a hopeless journey driven by obsession and pride to the point of self-degradation and the suffering of others. With this said, the boxer shorts allude to the story of McMurphy, as his hopes to overthrow the Nurse end ultimately hopeless and the journey comes at the expense of his life and others. Despite the differences, McMurphy relates closely to prominent literary anti-heroes. It can be seen through the development of the concept that McMurphy in turn is the archetypal modern anti-hero. But what purpose does this serve? Kesey’s The One Who Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest addresses and criticises the strict confines of society. By using the ward as a microcosm of the world, the effects Nurse Ratched’s misdoings have on the patients, can be a metaphor for the tragedy of the world in the eyes of the weak. But why was McMurphy made the anti-hero? People better identify with those who are flawed. If, in the case of McMurphy, a perfect person became the martyr who led to weak to their courage, the story would not be as powerful. An anti-hero offers suspense at their lack of perfection, as it leaves room for error, corruption or abandonment. This makes their heroic deeds all the more touching when it results in the bettering of others. That is why McMurphy was made and became, in a sense an archetypal modern anti-hero. As by being an anti-hero, the story and the ‘hero’, were not only more relatable, but
In James Joyce’s “Counterparts,” Farrington, a troubled man stuck in a monotonous job as a text copier, attempts to mitigate his overwhelming stress, only to find himself further demeaned and frustrated. The prison of routine is presented as a major theme, and the plot consists of three main settings that create the comparable catalysts for Farrington’s building anger and torment. Throughout each part of the plot, Joyce’s narration clearly implicates future events, particularly within the office scene. Although the motifs and recurring elements in the office setting reinforce the theme, they are also used to foreshadow impending events and conflicts that unfold to tell Farrington’s grim tale.
John Millington Synge's one-act play Riders to the Sea captures the culture of western Ireland through application of Aristotle's three unities and authentic dialogue. Although, the play gives audiences a window into the early western Irish life, the struggles met by his characters are universal and the meaning of the play is something timeless that stretches beyond cultural boundaries. This play explores the struggle between man and the sea through the realistic portrayal of the fisherman mentality. This one-act play unwraps an image of the past with use on symbolism, Aristotles unties, and the emphasizes of dialogue over action.