"I coulda been a contender." Do you think Terry only has himself to blame? In his 1954 film “On the Waterfront”, Elia Kazan portrays the transformation of Terry the protagonist, from being an indifferent person who is lack of motivation, to a brave, determined man who fights for what he thinks is right. His famous line “I coulda been a contender.” shows Terry’s pain to lose his boxing career and that he is reconciled to his current life as working on the dock. He blames Charlie as the one who caused him to lose his boxing career and he also blames himself for his lack of bravery to act according to his own will.
When Johnny Friendly’s gang murders his brother Charlie, Terry realizes the union corruption makes the decision to go against the union and make them pay, now that he’s felt the pain personally. The initial stage of the film, Terry Malloy is a part of a corrupt and threatening environment. He is a careless character, who is easily directed. However in time, Terry learns to stop being a follower and decide to start reclaiming power of his own life. At the beginning of the film Terry is initially ruled by Johnny Friendly and his mob.
* Charlie was killed because of Terry's decision. * Father Barry punched some sense into Terry because he wanted to murder Johnny Friendly for the death of his brother. * Terry and Johnny fought at the docks to see who had more power. Redemption * Charlie wants to redeem for the cause of his brother's failure at his boxing career. * Terry
For example, Tom tells Mr. Wilson about the incident that happens with Myrtle, and that Gatsby was responsible for it. This caused Mr. Wilson to fill with anger, and lead him to kill Jay Gatsby, and commit suicide. From these two situations, we see two contrasting consequences from one similar emotion. Jay Gatsby’s jealousy motivates him to pursue his true love, while Tom’s jealousy leads to the death of multiple characters. In conclusion, it is extremely transparent that Tom is a more corrupt character compared to Jay Gatsby.
Shylock’s actions reveal a lot about his ethical beliefs: that he would go as far as to kill a man in order to get revenge. In addition, Shylock’s actions reveal that he can get so caught up in his anger and so determined about his vengeance that he loses all sense of ethics. However, his motivation to get revenge and kill Antonio is fueled by his desire to be treated equally and respected by the Venetian society. In Act 1, Scene 3, when Shylock and Antonio are discussing their deal, Shylock says, “Fair sir, you spat on me Wednesday last, / You spurn’d me such a day, another time / You call’d me dog”(1.3.121-123). Antonio has treated Shylock very rudely and disrespectfully, even calling him a “dog” because of his religion, and now he is coming to him for money.
To begin with, the battle between the Montague’s and Capulet’s caused the death of Mercutio and Tybalt. To illustrate the point, Tybalt killed Mercutio because he was close to the Montagues, which he despised, and Mercutio had challenged him to a duel. Before Mercutio died in 3.1 he exclaimed, “A plague a both your houses!” meaning that the fight between the two families are like a plague where there’s no benefit (3.1. line 106). This implies that Mercutio felt that he was caught up between the everlasting feuds between the two families and he wanted no other innocent people to die from this conflict between the two families, therefore shouted out this fraise. In addition, in 3.1 Romeo murdered Tybalt to avenge the death of Mercutio by saying “Either thou or I, or both, must go with him.” (3.1. line 129).
This play exhibits tragedy because, though Proctor had many opportunities to change his fate, he chooses his demise because his tragic flaw prohibits him from doing otherwise. John Proctor is the tragic hero of the play, “The Crucible.” He has a high social status in the town, yet, because of his tragic flaw, he cannot bring himself to prevent his own death and tragic downfall. Proctor exhibits these tragic traits, making this play a tragedy of self-respect prevailing over shame and public
For example, he is responsible for the death of Mercutio, which causes a vengeful spark to rise in Romeo. After Tybalt stabs Mercutio he turns to Romeo and says, “I am hurt. A plague on both your houses” (121). Tybalt killing Mercutio is one of the actions that lead up to the death of Romeo and Juliet. Tybalt had no reason for fighting with him.
On The Waterfront reveals the powerlessness of the individual against a corrupt ruling group. “You know this city’s full of hawks?” Kazan’s On The Waterfront discusses how corruption and greed is always prevalent within society. The 1954 film follows the story of Terry Malloy, a man trapped between his loyalty to his conscience and the mob run by Johnny Friendly. The film illustrates how many characters attempt to seek justice and freedom from the corrupt union with differing results. The characters of Joey Doyle and Dugan both attempt to stop Johnny Friendly’s hold over the waterfront but ultimately are unable to make a change alone.
The main conflict begins when Victor's brother is murdered and is blamed on a Justine. Victor knows that his creation killed his brother but is too self-centered to say anything to anyone else. Victor says, "The tortures of the accused did not equal mine" (93). This shows that he thinks that his inner mind is more important then being hung and dieing. After the death of Justine he Victor claims he had a "night of unmingled wretchedness" (79).