Slumdog Millionaire

Slumdog Millionaire is a British Drama Film, set in India. India is the second largest country by area in Asia, and with over 1.2 billion people it is the second most populous country in the world, after China. The film was released in 2008 and portrays the different aspects of India as a country. Throughout the film different themes are addressed especially the issue of poverty. The word Slumdog refers to someone who lives in a slum, as does Jamal Malik the protagonist in the film.

Jamal’s parents wanted to settle in a place where safety and equality would be presented to the family, especially Bibi and her mother. In Afghanistan, life was not very equal when comparing boys and girls.

While Amir is lying in the dark, with nothing but his own thoughts, he feels that his guilt is taking over his life. He realizes that he is going to get away with his betrayal and yet he feels terrible. He decides that the only way he is going to live with his remorse is to ignore Hassan, blot him out, so he does not have to think about his sin. Amir’s guilt is so great that he cannot bear to have Hassan under the same roof, so he commits another sin. He lies to his father and accuses Hassan of stealing. “…I took a couple of the envelopes of cash from the pile of gifts and my watch, and tiptoed out…I lifted Hassan’s mattress and planted my new watch and a handful of Afghani bills under it…I knocked on Baba’s door and told what I hoped would be the last in a long

“…Enduring without complaint…” (355) is what every women in the novel A Thousand Splendid Suns is responsible for. Although Laila had to endure at times throughout the book, Mariam is the one who had to bear until her last breath. Mariam choose to endure rather then kill herself because it was the only choice she could make. Living in a society dictated by men, Mariam suffers both abuse and neglection but is taught to endure.

Man’s cruelty to man can change the course of the receiving person’s life. While both characters in the novel caused pain, Baba caused emotional pain to Amir resulting in Amir growing up to be unstable in the fact he could not figure out how to deal with overwhelming events. Instead of being a consoling father figure, Baba had gone with the stringent approach, leaving Amir to deal with his emotions on his own. Baba had wished for Amir to be a great man, much like himself.

After all that Amir put Hasan through in their childhood, he always looked back on that moment in the alley when he never helped him and the day he drove away and he never saw him again. He always felt the guilt of the way things had ended with them, but after getting a call from Rehim he is given a chance to redeem himself. Making the journey back to Afghanistan, he is given a choice to either go back home or save a young boy that is living in Kabul. Through making the decison to go back to Kabul, where it is now war barren and no longer safe for anyone he has chosen to go for Hassan and to save his son. After getting there he is almost beaten to death saving the young boy, but in that moment he realizes that by doing this he is being selfless and helping Hassan which helps rid him of the guilt. Same goes for Tim in on a Rainy River, he sat on the river looking onward towards the Canadian border with the choice to leave his life behind and never have to go to war, in the end he contrived the decision to stay in the boat and head home. In making this decision he faced a monumental fear and went back home and went to war something he never wanted to do, but by doing this he felt better about himself and no longer carried the guilt he felt for choosing to almost

In OMAM where George and Lennie are aggressively introduced to the boss’s son Curley in the cabin, Curley remarks, “Wel nex’ time you answer when you’re spoken to”. Mainly Lennie, but also George are treated with a high level of disrespect as Curley acts like both Lennie and George are nothing but dust. But this didn’t go on to limit the two workers as their dreams of owning their own land were in reach. It was clear that after the pair talked with Candy and George their dreams were close to reality with George amazed in saying “Jesus Christ! I bet we could swing her” referring her as their dream farm. A comparison can be to SDM as Jamal, is treated with a lack of respect by the host on ‘Who Wants to Be a Millionaire’. Host Prem Kumar made the assumption that Jamal lacked in intelligence and this was illustrated in the film when Mr. Kumar was surprised while saying, “the chia-walah has done it again” as Jamal answers another question correctly. In this scene Kumar made the assumption that Jamal did not have any form of knowledge as a result of his status as a slumdog and a chia-walah. Though delegated by the host of the show, Jamal wasn’t limited as he went on to win the game show and become a stature of hope in the eyes of slumdogs in his society of Mumbai,

They are smuggled out of Kabul by Karim who is a well known smuggler. Baba and Amir arrive at a one story house, and Karim tells the refugees that there is no way to take everyone to Peshawar, but he comes up with a solution. Karim tells everyone that his cousin owns a fuel truck and everyone can fit into the belly of the truck. As soon as they enter the truck Amir's eyes and nose begin to burn and Baba tells him to think of a joyous moment to relax yourself. Amir thinks about the time Hassan and him were flying a kite. The truck eventually makes it to Pakistan but Kamal isn't breathing and his father seems to be unconscious. Somehow, Kamal's father grabs Karim's gun and commits

It is this mentality that gets Baba to where is at the end of his life; he may not be as rich but he is still is respected amongst community. This shows that hard work can get anyone anywhere they want to get in life. While in America Baba is offered a hand out he shows he is only comfortable earning what he gets “I work always. In Afghanistan I work, in America I work.” (Hosseini 286).

Their broken connection allows Amir to yearn mistreatment from Hassan to justify his sorrow. He cannot live with himself after what he has done and desires revenge from Hassan. ‘“Hit me back!” I spat. “Hit me back, goddamn you!” I wished he would. I wished he’d give me the punishment I craved, so maybe I’d finally sleep at night. Maybe then could things return to how they used to be between us”’ (Hosseini 98). Guilt has plagued Amir, which makes him unable to see himself the same; he now sees a ‘monster’ (Hosseini 91). Amir hungers physical agony in order to feel emotionally at ease. He recognizes there must be something sacrificed for by standing Hassan’s rape, in order to atone his friendship. Later on, Amir visits Baba’s old friend, Rahim Khan in Pakistan. Rahim Khan tells Amir, “There’s a way to become good again” (Hosseini 202). Rahim Khan comprehends Amir’s struggle to redeem of his relationship with Hassan and offers him one last chance to achieve it. Rahim realizes the actions Amir must take to finally be liberated of iniquity to correct his companionship. He is obligated to protect Hassan’s orphaned son Sohrab in

In the movie Slumdog Millionaire, Salim and Jamal can easily be compared to Amir and Hassan. Both Salim and Amir are similar by the way they act as the older brother. From the beginning, Amir constantly attempts to prove himself as the highest endeavor. As any brother, why does Amir see the need to prove himself as the better of the two? With brothers, a sense of

The life story of the protagonist Jamal Malik in Slumdog Millionaire is built through the game show “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” and a series of his flashbacks revealing how his life experiences gave him the right answers to every quiz question in the show. It displays the way he formed his destiny. On the day when running away from the Hindu rioters who brutally killed his mother just because of the religious difference, Jamal accidentally met Latika. Driven by the

However in public that all slips away, Baba is more concerned about keeping his high social status and is okay with other people of the higher class picking on Ali. To the public eye, Baba treats Ali as a servant and nothing more. Including situational irony helps Hosseini show the reader the drastic difference in social class and how people react to the difference in status.

Jamal Malik in Slumdog Millionaire is a character who is faced with many sacrificial and tough decisions and is always put in unwanted positions. There is a scene in Slumdog Millionaire in which Jamal is upset at his brother for leaving him. Jamal meets him after years and his brother tries to convince him that he left a message when he left to which Jamal replies by crying “There was no message!” three time each time getting louder after which he finally replies in a calmly “I will never forgive you” with tears rolling down his eyes. This scene highlights the anger that is bottled up in Jamal when he sees his brother Salim after spending years apart.

Danny Boyles film Slumdog Millionaire follows two brothers from the Juhu slum in Mumbai as they face the trials and tributes of growing up in poverty. Although Salim, the elder brother, is given the same childhood experiences and trauma as his younger brother Jamal, his drive and hunger for power lead him to a life of crime, corruption and misconduct. These actions later have a detrimental effect on his relationship with Jamal, which in turn, becomes his demise. Boyle uses a range of effective film techniques to develop Salim’s growth as a character which helps to communicate the idea that ambition can enhance an individual or be the reason for their downfall. Throughout the film, Boyle uses the varying stages of Salim’s life through childhood, adolescence and adulthood to show and build this theme.