I would first like to mention that I forgot how adorable Minnie Driver is. With that said, let's start a discussion on the film, Good Will Hunting.
There are so many things we could discuss about this film in relation to class. Dr. B, you were right...I watched the film again and noticed things I had not bothered to notice before. For example, how about one of the themes being the need for middle class identity to be inexplicably tied to their professions? I loved that Sean (Robin Williams' character) had a "superior" education and he got meaning and identity from being who he is, not what he does or who he does it for. Yet, his almost nemesis, Professor whats-his-name (already blocked it out) couldn't comprehend this. In fact, he viewed the decision to not be great when you could be great, a waste and a big mistake. Part of his problem was how he defined being great. I think he felt that to be great, others must notice you are great. But is that really a reasonable or logical way to live your life? I would venture to say absolutely not. Life should be more than your job and certainly shouldn't be tied to what others think of you. Yet the professor could see it no other way.
I enjoyed picking apart Will's character during the film. When I watched it years ago I did the same thing but there were a few things I didnt notice last time. For instance, I picked up on Will's discomfort among the middle class. His discomfort was so intense that he knowingly drew attention to how he was like his friends and avoided anything that demonstrated his differences. Will seemed to find comfort in his belonging. Of course, considering his childhood, one could understand the desperate need to belong. He was treated as an insignificant as a child and he learned to treat himself the same as an adult. This mechanism also served to protect him from the disappointment and rejection of others. His emotional distance kept him safer but his ordinary demeanor kept others from singling him out. If you compare his behavior to that of his friends in the Harvard bar, his attitude changes a bit. No longer is he content to blend in or belong when his friend is threatened. He clearly demonstrates his ability and uses it to put his foe in his place. He does so because he knows this jerk is a phony and doesnt even think for himself. he knows that this phony does not expect to be outsmarted by someone like Will. It gave Will great pleasure to prove him wrong.
Chuckie at one point tells Will that he awaits the moment when Will doesnt answer the door when Chuckie shows up to pick him yup for work. He wants and expects Will to use his talent to take him to places that Chuckie could not go. Chuckie is all too aware of his status and does not seek to change it, but accepts his lot in life. Is it true that Chuckie could not alter his class or position? Is he being realistic about his situation or just a pessimist? Would an education have been wasted on him? I suppose only Chuckie knows that part. An education is only worth what you do with it. But he certainly seemed to be well aware of Will's potential and didnt find the need to keep Will down to elevate himself. Instead, he gained some pride in pushing Will to improve his lot.
Was it also noticeable to you that Sean was the epitome of a straggler (which caused him great distress at times). But that coming from a blue-collar background gave him a set of values and guidelines that were highly contrasted by those held by his roommate and other classmates. In fact, I would say that Sean was probably pushed to choose a more spiritually rewarding career over a prestigious one because he was disgusted with who and what he saw in those people & their professions. Sean wanted instead to be his own man and be lead by his heart. The contrast between him and Professor Lambeau was immense and their ideas and values vastly different. In the end Sean learned to practice what he preached, Will learned vulnerability leads to real living and Professor Lambeau....well, we hope he learned that rules, prestige, awards, notoriety and social elevation is nothing more than a bag full of #@%$ at the end of your life.
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Your point about Sean was defiantly noticeable to me. I saw this movie a long time ago and would have never picked up on that point you made until after reading about straddlers. I agree that it cause his a lot of distress and I am with you on the fact that I feel that he picked the job he did because that was what made him happy. I really like the point you made about him leading his own heart I feel like that was a a perfect way to explain his character in the movie.
ReplyDeleteI also feel like Will is stuck in the straddlers stage too just doesn't exactly realize it. For example in the scene where Chuckie is saying that Will owns it to him to leave I feel like is realizing that Will is struggling with the decision or maybe not thinking about it yet, but he is telling him it is okay for him to do better that he owes them to do better because he has a gift they dont.
i loved the bar scene. one of my favorite scenes in the movie. you have your typical guy trying to pick up some girls, trying to impress them, and then some guy comes over to try and be a dick. then the first guys friend comes over to defend him. but in this scene he doesn't defend him in your typical working class sort of way, he just out right baffles this guy in a "history" lesson where he includes even his own ideas about the "pricks" philosophy. it's glorious! then after that, the girl that they were trying to impress comes over to him, Will, 45 minutes after they leave her and her friend alone to tell him that he's an idiot. just because he didn't go and talk to her. he was just implicating a "friend rule" into the argument, if someone disses your friend stick up for him. he had no intention to win over the girl, but just to watch his friend hit on her.
ReplyDeleteas i had commented on the last blog, i loved Robin Williams character Sean. you make a great point that he is the perfect example of a straggler. he has the education of the middle class elite, but he has the humbleness of the hometown working class. never thinking he's better then anyone else, but instead trying to understand where they come from.
I also believe the character of Will is very interesting and complex. We all know Will is part of the lower class, was abused as a child, became an orphan, only trusts his loyal friends, and disobeys laws. The biggest thing is that behind all of that there is a brilliant person. This movie has really opened my eyes to potential that may exist in the lower class. There may be multiple people in the lower class that are just like Will but they never get the opportunity or chance to experience how smart they can be.
ReplyDeleteI believe the bar scene is a key part to what we have been discussing on education and class. We can obviously tell the class difference between Clark and Will. Clark goes to an upper class college and Will basically taught himself everything he knows. Will tells Clark, “you dropped 150 grand on an f***in' education you could have got for a dollar fifty in late charges at the public library,” but Clark makes a valid point by saying, “Yeah, but I will have a degree.” A degree says more to others than the hidden intelligence of a person. This is kind of sad.
Haha, I also think Minnie Driver is adorable! I really enjoyed your post Bridget! I really liked your evaluation of Sean. I had never considered it before but he does seem to be a straggler. I also agree with you that he was probably pushed a little in the direction of his profession by the disgust and contempt he felt for some of his peers and their ways.
ReplyDeleteThe bar scene is one of my favorites in the film. It's always fun to watch the underdog win and it's spectacular to watch Will tear that guy apart (intellectually of course!). I liked how you said that Chuckie wanted to "elevate" Will and didn't feel the need to keep him down or hold him back. I loved the characters of Chuckie and Sean, as I'm sure everyone else did! It was nice to see that he could allow some people in without being hurt. I believe he could have done so with Skylar as well.
Wow!!! I dint notice that he was a straddler, I going to have to watch it over to see if I can pick up on it....However I loved his character, dude was preaching! He was teaching some good valuable stuff on being free and living a life in love. MAN THAT WAS SOME GOOD STUFF. I think I was to busy getting schooled, thats why I didn't notice it. lol
ReplyDeleteI love your blog, you make some very interesting points.
I think that Professor Lambeau turned into to"that 50 year old guy" that Will was talking about in the bar scene.
What I took away from the movie was:
Intelligence is a gift, love is life!
Bridget, I loved how you brought up the fact that Sean had a "superior" education and he got meaning and identity from being who he is, not what he does or who he does it for. Yet, his almost nemesis, Professor Lambeau couldn't comprehend this. It bothered me every time Lambeau said things to belittle Sean throughout the movie. They had come from the same educational background, but had chosen different career paths. Sean did was he was passionate about and Lambeau saw that as a waste of his talent which really made me mad. I also agree that life should be more than your job and certainly shouldn't be tied to what others think of you.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was sad that the fact Will was treated insignificant as a child and because of that he learned to treat himself the same as an adult. This mechanism also served to protect him from the disappointment and rejection of others. His emotional distance kept him safe but his ordinary demeanor kept others from singling him out. You said you could see how he acted uneasy around the middle class but I thought that he seemed to act perfectly normal around Skylar (other than the fact he hid his entire life from her). I felt that with her and Sean were the only two places he could truly be himself, which was very sad.
I completely agree with you that an education is only worth what you do with it. And that Chuckie certainly seemed to be well aware of Will's potential and didnt find the need to keep Will down to elevate himself. Instead, he gained some pride in pushing Will to improve his lot. I was so glad when he finally got the nerve up to tell Will what he expected of him. He was essentially the only family Will had and I feel that he need to hear what Chuckie told him in order to change his life.
I totally agree with the idea of Sean as a straddler. His upbringing and education clash in a big way -- he says his father was a bricklayer who worked to make sure that his son could have a higher education. (How eerily relevant!) I like Sean's character specifically because he wasn't anything special (as opposed to Will, a prodigal genius), and had to work for a better life. He obtained it by landing a respectable job that he didn't hate, and kept on keeping on, despite the tragedies that had marred his life. It's a beautiful message to send in an era of cynicism, pessimism and fear, and makes the film even more relevant today than it was in 1997. It urges us to cast aside fear and social restriction (class), and live our lives.
ReplyDeleteBridget correctly identifies Sean as a straddler. Not only is he a straddler, he's almost a carbon copy of Lubrano, whose father, if you recall, was also a bricklayer. Like Lubrano, Sean enters the middle class without capitalizing on his educational background. What I mean by that is Sean attends MIT with Lambeau, but he ends up teaching at a much less prestigious community college (Lambeau is hired by his alma mater, a practice which is almost exclusively restricted to elite schools). Lubrano was also more interested in serving society than making money.
ReplyDeleteWill demonstrates a similar interest: recall his lengthy rejection of the NSA's job offer. In many respects, the film is about WIll realizing he is a straddler. Will and Sean connect because both are from "Southie," a working-class Irish American neighborhood in Boston. Why does Sean succeed where the other psychiatrists fail? We could argue that Sean is simply better at his job, especially because the film depicts him as so (it's hard to take a psychiatrist seriously whose primary interest is to be famous, and don't even get me started on the hypnotist!). However, I think we need to keep in mind social class at this precise point.
Sean succeeds with finding the "Good" Will because he knows his kind. He, too, came from that stereotypical working-class family whose head of household was an abusive father. Lambeau refers to the other psychiatrists as his colleagues. These men are reputable professionals who probably serve a higher end clientele. For them, Will is just "loony." Only Sean can recognize Will's particular predicament as a straddler because he himself is one. Lambeau desires to help Will, too (he's not a complete "prick," as Sean refers to him), but he consistently struggles to understand why Will doesn't simply seize on his opportunity. Lambeau and Sean fight, not just because they have some deep-seated competitiveness in their friendship, but because they are in different classes. There exists a real class antagonism between the two of them. Compare their offices and outfits, and you'll see what I mean.
We need to come up with a term for the opposite of a "black hole family." Chuckie and company, who serve as Will's de facto family, urge him to jump classes. Hell, they even "buy" him a car to facilitate his upward "mobility." Notably, Will's interested in other things. Stealing Sean's line, he takes off to "see about a girl." The final shot is of a young man heading West for love and opportunity. I say we call these "open road families." What do you think?