Lars Relationship Essay

Describe the relationships between Lars and his brother and sister - in - law and his co - workers. Lars pushes all of the people in his life away, including his family. Lars seems as though he prefers not to communicate with his brother and his sister - in - law although they do try to get him out of his shell. His brother, Gus, feels guilty for leaving home early and believes that he could have helped Lars if he had stayed. Lars’ sister - in - law, as well as his co - workers, try to interact with him and get him involved with dinners and activities, but he continues to separate himself with the rest of the community.
How does Lars’ family react to the introduction of Bianca? How would you react in this situation? Why? When Lars first
explains to Gus and Karen that he has a woman over at his house, they are exceedingly excited. However, when Lars brings Bianca over to their house they are both speechless. Gus immediately thinks about what the rest of the town will think of them when they see Lars out with Bianca. Karen insisted that they play along to avoid causing more problems with Lars, but Gus did not want any part of it and continued to say that it was just a phase. If I were in this situation I would react in the same manner that Gus did. I would be speechless if my sibling “introduced” Bianca to my family and I because if a person was to get to this level I would be heartbroken to know that someone that close to me is suffering in such a way. With that said, I would still end up “playing along” because for someone to be in that mental position, like Lars, it would completely break him psychologically if I would end up arguing with him about his delusions.
How did the minister of the church deal with the issue of Lars bringing Bianca to church? What do you think of this response? Why? When the church council discusses the issue of Lars bringing Bianca to church, there was one woman who first suggests that they treat her the same as everyone else.
She goes around the room reminding people about their families flaws as well as the fact that they should not be one to judge, and therefore convinces the others to let her be a member of the church community. I felt that this response was truly touching because there are so many communities that would never help Lars the way that the Church did. It reminded me of Pope Francis’ message in the previous unit, in which he outlines that we are all equals no matter what we believe in or what our flaws may be. In addition to this, it reminded me of Jesus writing in the sand before those who are about to stone the adulterous woman. This shows that no individual deserves to be denied or singled out because God wants us all to be included.
Give several examples of how the community rallies around Lars and supports his journey to self discovery.
 The community in “Lars and the Real Girl” rallies around Lars and supports him through his journey in many ways. Their doctor, Dagmar, as well as the community, helped him by acknowledging Bianca and Lars’ need for her to be a real woman. His coworkers invite Bianca and Lars to the Christmas party. In addition to that, they let her volunteer as a nurse in the hospital and even became elected to the school
board.
List as many of the Catholic Social Teachings that this film illustrates as you can. Give an example and explanation for each. There are several examples of the Catholic Social Teachings in the film “Lars and the Real Girl.” One of these Catholic Social Teachings is the principle of respect for human dignity. This connects to the film because although Gus was embarrassed by Lars and Bianca at first, he, as well as Karen and the rest of the community, continued to treat him with the same amount of respect as everyone else. All individuals are worthy of respect regardless of disability, age, race, success or poverty, which is proven numerous times in the film. Moreover, another Catholic Social Teaching that relates to “Lars and the Real Girl” is the principle of preferential option for the poor and vulnerable. Throughout the film, the community does whatever they can to put Lars’ emotional needs first by allowing Bianca to be a part of the community and playing along with it until he is ready to have relationships with real people. Like the CST states, the needs of the vulnerable should take precedence over the desires of the fortunate. In addition, the principle of human equality widely relates to the film. Lars’ family as well as the community provides him with the same amount of respect that they would anyone else. For example, in the scene where the church council discusses Bianca attending church, one woman explains that they are not one to judge because all their families have flaws that the church deals with. This film follows the notion that all individuals are entitled to respect and dignity, seeing that he or she is created in the image of God. Finally, a Catholic Social Teaching that is illustrated in “Lars and the Real Girl” is a call to family, community, and participation. The community portrayed in this film is so greatly organized, where all people had an active role in strengthening each other. They communicated in a way that gave all individuals the ability to grow. This is exactly what the CST states and Lars and his relationship with his family and others widely embody this.