In the 1985 film, Pee Wee’s Big Adventure, we meet Pee Wee Herman who lives an idyllic life in the suburbs with his dog Speck. In other words, Pee Wee Herman is the Peter Pan Syndrome personified. His favorite possession is his red bicycle with all its bells and whistles, literally. And we absolutely know that bike is amazing, because Pee Wee is practically blinded by the bike's radiance on the first occasion it is depicted in the film. Unfortunately, one day while out doing a little shopping, Pee Wee is horrified to discover that his bike has been stolen by his nemesis, Francis Buxton a rich, indulged man-child, a kind of dark reflection of Pee Wee. Francis hired someone to steal Herman’s bike, but when Herman goes on the radio in efforts to get the stolen bike back, Buxton re-hires his underling to get rid of it so he won't get into trouble. In almost the very next scene, we see Pee Wee growing despondent over his loss of the bike, and we catch a glimpse directly into his fevered brain. Suddenly, everybody is riding bicycles, implicitly mocking Pee Wee's lack of conveyance. Unable to get much assistance from his friends or the police, soon, Pee Wee's unhappiness turns him into something of a monster, a fact we see expressed visually during the rain-swept alley scene. Pee Wee enters first as a shadow - a giant, hunched over monster shadow. This image reveals how an unfair loss has transformed the character's view of the world. Pee Wee turns to a psychic to find out
does Pony boy walk home alone, even though he knows it's not safe? Is he just making a
A character in a novel can represent a larger idea in society. In William Golding’s novel Lord of the Flies, each character is illustrated to represent a larger idea in society. Ralph represents democracy, Jack represents savagery, and Piggy represents a scientific approach.
The trickster character appears in many cultural mythologies across the world and across the span of time. Despite the individual personalities of a trickster being unique across time and cultures there are unchanging characteristics belonging only to tricksters, which still appear in our modern day media. A wonderful example of a modern day trickster, who has lived within our society for the past 85 years, would be Bugs Bunny. Bugs has undergone a few minor changes within his personality and outward appearance throughout his life, yet he is recognizable to the current three generations living within our society today. Bugs is a fearless, creative, and sassy individual who is able to break barriers, not only between generations but also
In the book Diary Of A Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul, written by Jeff Kinney, Greg is being dragged through the country in an uncomfortable car for a road trip. In this fiction book, Greg is on a long road trip because his mom looked through a summer fun magazine and saw things to do in it and she chose the road trip option. Of course, Greg and the rest of the family was not thrilled by this idea. The three topics addressed in this book are the protagonist, conflict, and characterization.
Judy garland who is purportedly named Dorothy dale in the move the wizard of Oz is the main protagonist in most of the Oz novels. Frank Baum created the fictional character who has been idolized in the American movie culture because of the character she has played in most movies, books, animations, games and on TV. At first she appeared in the novel the wonderful wizard of Oz which was created in 1900 and thereafter, she was able to reappear in most of the sequels showing her importance in various adaptations, notably, in the 1939 film named the wizard of Oz (Pfefferman, 2013). in the movie, the wizard of Oz, she acts as a young orphaned girl from one of the farms in Kansas which was owned by uncle henry and aunt Em. Life in the farm is considered to be composed of hard work and it provided little opportunity for Dorothy to have excitement in the farm. She is able to express her desires of exploring what was beyond Kansas through the use of a wishful song of what might be lying at the other end of the rainbow. One of the richest people in the town gets a permit of obtaining her dog, Toto, and she tries to save her life by running away. She changes her mind and decided to go back home when a tornado drops from the sky and everything changes radically in the movie.
Howard the Duck is strange reading material and in a completely different category than what we read last week. I think it is really interesting as an example of the “funny animal” trope. This is when an animal (in a comic, cartoon, etc.) walks around on two legs like a human, and acts like a human, and is saddled with human problems. Usually, I associate this with silly characters meant for kids, like Goofy or Mickey Mouse. But I think the character type is much more interesting when its creator subverts these expectations and turns something as ridiculous-looking as Howard into an instrument for commentary on the human condition. This is what Steve Gerber did- and I think his success in doing so was best summarized when Professor Borenstein compared the humor within the comic to Louie C.K.’s standup and TV show. Howard the Duck is frequently depressing and troubling. Within the first issue, on the very first page, he considers suicide. In issue 12, he is institutionalized as his brain has turned to “duck’s head soup.” Reading Howard the Duck reminded me of a similar depiction of a funny animal. The show Bojack Horseman on Netflix has a similar character, a horse named Bojack, who does silly horse stuff like eat apple fritters and wear apple pajamas. But he is also deeply depressed and an alcoholic, and often incredibly self-destructive as a result. His pain is not played for laughs, as it might be on a lesser show. Instead, his terrible behavior gives the showrunners an
After Johnny’s death, Ponyboy finds a letter written by Johnny that reads, “When you’re a kid everything’s new, dawn. It’s just when you get used to everything that it’s day. Like the way you dig sunsets, Pony. That’s gold. Keep it that way, it’s a good way to be,” (178). Johnny urges Ponyboy to embrace his youth and innocence by not yielding to the greaser lifestyle. He insists on Ponyboy seeking his full potential. Ponyboy acknowledges that there are different stories beyond one’s appearance like himself because although the society previously consider him a nuisance to the community, they are proved wrong after he transforms into a hero after saving children from a church fire, which contributes to his dynamic change. Even the close-minded public are subject to their own change of mind. Johnny’s letter also leaves a lifelong impact on Ponyboy’s perspective on the importance of family because the absence of family in Johnny’s life makes Ponyboy treasure the atypical family he has, whether it may the greasers as a whole. In all, a number of people influence Pony to change his views on people and his
The best fictional movie of World War II is “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas” directed by Mark Herman. The movie is based on the novel written by John Boyne and the story is told from a German child’s view during the Holocaust. The general message the director and writer so vividly portrayed is that of a child’s innocence and young friendship. “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas” has a good storyline, great choice in actors, and overall it was thought-provoking and effective in showing a different view of World War II, despite a few discrepancies in authenticity, the movie is a must see.
As Ricky Baker thrives to build his relationship with his new uncle, Hector, he is also running away from his consequences. The film,“The Hunt for the Wilderpeople”, begins with the delivery of Ricky Baker, an orphan, to his adoptive family. As the story progresses, his aunt, Bella, passes away, which begins his journey to disappear from society. Hec, Ricky’s uncle, receives a letter regarding Ricky’s confinement in juvenile. As Hec started to vocalize, Ricky refuses to go to juvenile due to his desire to disappear. Through Ricky’s determination, loyalty, and his adventures, these traits allow him to gain life lessons during his journey to run away from his consequences.
Towards the middle of the story, a boy named Johnny had killed a Soc that was drowning Ponyboy. He and Ponyboy fled the city to another town, and hid in an abandon church there for a week. When they were going to leave, they realized the church was on fire and there was kids trapped inside. Johnny and Pony were good friends and they decided to go help the children. After they rescued the children, they had to escape the burning, ravaged building. A flaming, steaming hot beam from the ceiling fell on Johnny. After this happened, Pony passed out, “ I leaped out the window and heard timber crashing and the flames roaring right behind me. I staggered, almost
In the first scene of the film, Ponyboy exits a theatre to what looks like the city center area. As he begins his walk home a mustang filled with Socs see him walking and immediately start insulting him, telling him to wash the grease out of his hair. The torment does not stop there, they follow him throughout town, throwing scrap wood at him and chasing him down the street. It escalated to the point the Socs jump out of the car and takes him down, pointing a switchblade at his neck and cutting him. This type of harassment is normal for Greasers, which is why they never should walk alone. This scene is an example of victim precipitation theory. Ponyboy is an adolescent male with a poor upbringing walking alone, even in broad daylight, he is considered an easy target for the Socs and they know they can get away with it. Another example is when Ponyboy and Johnny decide to run away together, they were spotted by the Socs who had been drinking and looking for easy targets.
John Hughes's The Breakfast Club is one of film history’s most iconic and renowned movies and is a cornerstone of 1980’s pop-culture. The Breakfast Club showcases five unique high school students who all unfortunately find themselves imprisoned in an all-day Saturday detention. The students go as following: Claire (a pretty girl), Brian (the nerd), John (the bad boy), Andrew (an athlete), and Allison (the strange, goth girl). These students come from very different backgrounds and social settings which proves to spark many conflicts between them as well as with their supervisor Mr. Vernon. But through this conflict they find similarities between themselves, and after spending nine hours locked up together, they find resolution within themselves and with their new friends. Psychology can explain why this happened as well as what caused other events to occur. This paper will examine four different psychological phenomena: stereotypes, conformity/normative social influence, ingroup versus outgroup/superordinate goals, and the various causes of attraction.
In the short yet complex work “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin, readers see a woman who goes through a complete spectrum of emotions in the short span of an hour. When the main character learns that her husband is dead, like most, she is shocked and utterly filled with grief. As the story continues, a dramatic change takes place within the mind of the main character, Louise. Upon the conclusion of her natural, wifely grief, she realizes that she is finally out from under the grasp of her husband and is now a free woman in a time when men dominated life at home and the goings on of society. Through his death, Louise finds the opportunity to be born again. Many of the emotions that the main character goes through are depicted through the imagery of her constantly changing environment, and the author specifically uses the architecture of her home as a main tool. In the story, the use of visual imagery projects the rise and fall of the main character as her life transitions quickly back and forth. Through an analysis of her characterization, these changes ultimately prove too much for her to handle. In Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour,” a character analysis can be performed based on the changes in her environment compared to the changes in her life situation. The layout of the world around Louise is used to show her initial grief, sudden realization of freedom, and her gateway to a new life free from oppression of men.
Thesis: It is the intent of this paper to dig into the life of Peter and see just who this man that passionately followed Christ was. As we dig into the life of Peter we will examine his character strengths, his weaknesses, and overall how Peter was transformed by Christ. We will see how God took a man who more often than not acted without thinking and transformed him into a passionate follower who’s words we read today in God’s very words to us.
Little Miss Sunshine is a comedy movie about a seven year old girl named Olive who aspires to win the Little Miss Sunshine pageant. To help make her wish come true, her six-member family takes a road trip from Albuquerque to Redondo Beach, California. At the conclusion of the film, Olive and her family learned to trust and support each other, no matter the situation. Olive is the youngest member of her family who is entering middle childhood and adolescence just like her older brother Dwayne. Olive is the type of girl that is cheerful, most of the time and not particularly the kind you would see in a pageant. Olive’s brother, Dwayne, could be described as “emo”. Although he claims that he hates his family, he loves his sister, Olive. Their parents, Richard and Sheryl, and their Uncle Frank are in the process of entering middle adulthood. Throughout most of the film, Richard is considered selfish because he does not want his family to be seen as “losers”. Richard is obnoxious to his family, but he still means well and wants them to succeed. Sheryl is the normal member of the family who does not tolerate anyone's antics. Uncle Frank is very sarcastic and failed at his attempt to commit suicide. He used to be a college professor, so he is considered the smart guy. The sixth member of Olive’s family, her grandpa, dies during the movie due to an overdose, but was entering the late adulthood stage. The members of Olive’s family share some similarities and differences, but since they all vary in age, developmental concepts will be different in a way for each family member.