Conformity In Cool Hand Luke

When individuals of a higher rank give orders, make decisions and enforce obedience to lower ranked individuals, it is normative for persons to obey orders. When an order is disobeyed, insubordination is probable, thus causing the individual with previously lower status to fight back against the oppression. In the film Cool Hand Luke, the narrative is largely based on the main character Luke, refusing to conform to life in a rural prison. Throughout the film, Luke struggles to obey authority and is seen trying to escape from the prison. Dragline, however, conforms to traditional norms of the prison and abides by commands. Obedience to an authoritative figure is also a major theme in the film because the prison is an institution where rules
They are shown having parties, dancing, gambling, and engaged in other activities with prison personnel standing nearby, nodding approval. The main representative of this group is Dragline, played by George Kennedy. He's been in the camp longer than most of the prisoners, and he sees the way to survival through complying with prison rules. He's worried by Luke's rebelliousness, and in various ways, he urges Luke to go along with the rules. Dragline is not a coward, but he clearly has a different attitude towards life, towards survival, then Luke. The men like Dragline may be more likely to survive the prison camp, but they do so at the cost of their individuality, their identity. Luke may ultimately retain his identity, but it comes at the cost of his life. This relates to course content such as the Asch study because it illustrates individuals will conform to the majority viewpoint. Most of the prison inmates conform to the majority viewpoint, such as Dragline, which is to be respectful and adhere to prison rules. This relates to the Asch study because it shows that a majority of individuals will adhere to social rules and etiquettes in their environment, even if they disagree with them, so as to not be outside of the norm. Individuals yield to group pressures because a person wants to fit in with the group. Similarly, most of the individuals in the prison conform to
The film suggests a myriad of reasons why individuals conform, rebel and obey authority. It also connects with conformity and Ascher’s study because it demonstrates the normative behavior of human beings. It shows how much of a necessity it is for individuals to conform to rules in groups to be accepted. Nonconformity is common for Luke because he does not agree with prison authorities and the film often shows conflicts between them. He also tries to escape three times, even until the very end of the film. Obedience to authority is a common trend in the film because the prisoners have to obey the rules of the prison and listen to higher ranked individuals in power. Dragline, for example, conforms and obeys authority. Consecutively, Luke, however, believes the prison lifestyle to be oppressive and demeaning, which shows his need to not adhere to the normative rules. The film illustrates how individuals are capable of going to extreme lengths to obey authority and accept their prison lifestyle or Luke continuously retaliates to the lifestyle and try to break the