On the Waterfront

528 Words3 Pages
Father Barry is the true hero of On the Waterfront. To what extent do you agree? There are a lot of ways to define a hero; a hero can be someone that saved someone else’s life or a person, typically a man, who is admired for their courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. In this case, Elia Kazan’s film On the Waterfront portrays that everyone apart from the derived Friendly’s gang is a hero. Father Barry is considered a hero for fulfilling his role as a priest and helping the corrupted community. The longshoremen are heroes for fighting back the corrupted union. Terry Malloy is a hero for telling the truth at the court. However, the overall true hero is Edie Doyle who is the instigator for everyone’s change of heart. Father Barry who is seen as the catalyst in the film is a hero but not the ultimate true hero. He was able to persuade Dugan from acting ‘D n D’ to wanting to tell the truth in court. “You stand up and I will stand up with you.” Father Barry’s firm ‘Sermon on the docks’ speech presented over Dugan’s horrific death was a challenge towards the longshoremen to stand up and fight against this corrupted union, “Anybody who keeps silent about something he knows has happened- shares the guilt of it.” His persuasive quality was what made him a hero. However, Father Barry would not have found the courage to help bring justice to the community if it was not for Edie. Edie Doyle’s intense determination to find her brother’s killer turned her into someone who provokes others to tell the truth and fulfil their role. Her fierce criticism towards Father Barry being a “saint hiding in the church” triggered Father Barry to go out into the corrupted society and complete his role as a father. This prompted a change to Father Barry as he realised how much the world outside the church was tainted. It raised Father Barry to stand by the longshoremen that
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