The Life Of Ruth

An awkward, shy Midwest girl, Ruth, is growing up in the small town of Honey Creek, Illinois in the 1970’s. All of her childhood, and most of her adult life, is spent wondering what would happen if she could get away. Her father, Elmer, left her family when she was ten, which left her mother, Maylene, very bitter. Maylene is extremely unhappy and disappointed in Ruth because she is nothing like her shining brother, Matt. Matt, a mathematical genius, earns a scholarship to attend college, whereas, Ruth was not encouraged, through school or at home, to believe she could attain a college education.

Throughout Ruth’s life, the bitter, vindictive Maylene has fed into her daughter’s insecurities, making the girl feel plain and worthless. This was the only way that Maylene was ever able to express her love and the only way that she has been able to bind to her daughter so she would never feel lonely and abandoned, a selfish act. Ruth eventually meets and marries Ruby and they move into the home of Ruth’s overbearing mother Maylene.

As the years go by, Ruth has a son with Ruby, Justin, and begins to regret her marriage to him. Ruby has his own weaknesses and failings that appear as the story progresses. The family tensions rise and reach a climax when Ruby snaps, beats and strangles Maylene in the basement. Ruth grows progressively stronger and self-assertive, not only able, but also willing to heal the wounds of her troubled childhood.

The Book of Ruth is a story of a family whose members want desperately to be loved, but cannot because their tragic flaws grind harshly against one another, surprisingly, Ruth is the one that seems to tolerate.

This is a passionate coming-of-age story of an uneducated small-town girl Ruth, who ...

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...ance to the real people in society who are experiencing a very similar culture and environment, which unfortunately happens all too frequently in society.

There are many dynamics at work in this movie, but the Modern-Conflict Theory could best explain the social patterns throughout. The power differentials and socioeconomic system creates a necessary tension that brings about consequences or changes, in this case a negative consequence. The inability of these individuals to change their relationships and the inability of the ‘outside’ society had a huge impact on the outcome. According to C. Wright Mills, “Social structures are created through conflict between people with differing interest and resources. Individuals and resources, in turn, are influenced by these structures and by the unequal distribution of power and resources in the society.” (Macionis, 2013).