Comparing Goldman And Kelley Families In The Film 'The Birdcage'

xiujun zhao xiujun zhao 1
Eng108

Are the Goldman and Kelley families fundamentally different? In my opinion, I would say yes. Even though both of them were consisted with "husbands" and "wives" and they all love each other, they have fundamental differences in many aspects: life styles, Problem on Children Education Issues and so on. In the movie "The Birdcage", we can see clearly that the Goldman
family has a big problem on their adopted child ,Van's marriage issue because most normal couples do not accept their son or daughter to marry a person who grows up in such a homosexual family. Although today's society has become more open, children who has grown in a homosexual family still suffering discrimination and misunderstanding. Children who grows in homosexual family would suffer discrimination from other children and adults, from the beginning of his or her life. This is an important point that makes this type of family different. The Kelley's daughter, have to lie for her parents at first, because she has a high-standard family that they cannot tolerate Van's background. But Van never need to lie, because the Kelley's daughter can be acceptable by most families. Therefore, it is unfair for children who grows up in a homosexual family. Although some people thinks that homosexual families can also provide children with good education, but after their children grow up, will they be homosexual like their parents? In this movie, Van is a normal boy, he fall in love with a girl. However, he still have some problems about his family. He doesn't want other know that his mother is a man, he try to hide the fact. Therefore, he is far away from normal people life, he is special. The second difference is about the life styles about these two family.
Except Goldman's family is a gay family, they are more interesting than the Kelley's, they often flitter each other. I remember that Albert once says: I was adorable once. Young and full of hope. Now, look at me. I am a short, fat, insecure, middle aged thing! Then Armand answered: I made you short? They are very funny gays, indeed. But Kelley's family is much more serious, they work in government and have high social standard while the Goldman's family operates a club. Albert always wear colorful clothes and acts exaggerating. Quote: Albert: Do not use that tone to me. Armand: What tone? Albert: That sarcastic contemptuous tone. That means you know everything because you are a man, and I know nothing because I am a woman. Armand: You are not a woman. Albert: Oh, you bastard. He works in Armand's club, and always acts as a woman in his club. I have to admit that their lives are funny and exciting. If we turn back to the homosexual issues, we can find that their difference could be more obvious. The Goldman's family is full of strange men, their maid prefer to wear lady's shorts while the Kelley's always wears formal clothes. The Goldman's family can attrack every passengers attention while they are walking on the streat, they are strange but
funny. xiujun zhao 2 The third difference is about the relationship between the two couples. The gay couple in this movie seems that Albert emotional controls Armand. Every time when he get angry, Albert have to comfort him. He care about Albert very much. The Kelley's family seems that Mr.Kelly is more powerful. He often stops Mrs.Kelly when they have different ideas. He looks like a leader, he make decisions in his family while the Goldman's family seems more equal. All in all, the Goldman's and Kelley's families are totally different. Because the Goldman's family is a homosexual family, they can never be consider as a normal family. I do not mean that they should be discriminated, because everyone has his right to chose his life and the group of homosexual families in society is becoming lager. However, we can never say it is normal, because they are minorities. They are different, but they finally accept each other.Alfred C. Kinsey argued in 1948, "It would encourage clearer thinking on these matters [of labeling homosexuals] if persons were not characterized as heterosexual or homosexual, but as individuals who have had certain amounts of heterosexual experience and homosexual experience. Instead of using these terms as substantives (real and apparent entities) which stand for persons, they may be better used to describe the nature of overt sexual relations, or of the stimuli to which an individual erotically responds."