On the Waterfront - Individual Power
Essay Topic 9
“There’s one thing that we have in this country, and that’s ways of fighting back.”
How does On the Waterfront explore the power of the individual?
The 1954 film, On the Waterfront, subliminally validates Director Elia Kazan’s message that, in a world of oppression and despair, individual empowerment can be earned by those who act in accordance to their moral conscience. In a world plagued by mob tyranny, administered through corrupt unions, the socially progressive film proves that the individual’s ability to fight back is often limited. By skilfully crafting the characterisation of the protagonist, Terry Malloy, as a fighter against forces threating democracy, Kazan prompts his intended 1950’saudience to similarly fight against oppressive forces for the collective good. However, Terry is not always an ardent warrior for justice and first has to evolve from being a “lousy stinkin’ bum”. This transformation is only completed through the enlisted aid of the angelic Edie, revealing that individual empowerment is often externally influenced.
Reeking of oppression and constraint, Kazan uses the physicality of the Hoboken docks to convey a world that “ain’t a part of America”, where corruption and the “love of a lousy buck” has dominated the desperate majority. By filming on real life docks the essence of hopelessness felt by actual longshoremen is contained, thus making the film slightly more socially confronting and the need for change slightly more urgent. As a representation for the American Dream, the ever-present Manhattan Skyline is, for the most part, stuck behind fences or cloaked by fog, implying a physical barrier between success and the longshoremen, who are powerless to do anything but “just take it”. We are presented with generations of men caught in the cuckold of a “code” that has perverted every aspect of their lives, making them constantly look out for the “hawks” who “hang around on the top of the big hotels”. It is this
“There’s one thing that we have in this country, and that’s ways of fighting back.”
How does On the Waterfront explore the power of the individual?
The 1954 film, On the Waterfront, subliminally validates Director Elia Kazan’s message that, in a world of oppression and despair, individual empowerment can be earned by those who act in accordance to their moral conscience. In a world plagued by mob tyranny, administered through corrupt unions, the socially progressive film proves that the individual’s ability to fight back is often limited. By skilfully crafting the characterisation of the protagonist, Terry Malloy, as a fighter against forces threating democracy, Kazan prompts his intended 1950’saudience to similarly fight against oppressive forces for the collective good. However, Terry is not always an ardent warrior for justice and first has to evolve from being a “lousy stinkin’ bum”. This transformation is only completed through the enlisted aid of the angelic Edie, revealing that individual empowerment is often externally influenced.
Reeking of oppression and constraint, Kazan uses the physicality of the Hoboken docks to convey a world that “ain’t a part of America”, where corruption and the “love of a lousy buck” has dominated the desperate majority. By filming on real life docks the essence of hopelessness felt by actual longshoremen is contained, thus making the film slightly more socially confronting and the need for change slightly more urgent. As a representation for the American Dream, the ever-present Manhattan Skyline is, for the most part, stuck behind fences or cloaked by fog, implying a physical barrier between success and the longshoremen, who are powerless to do anything but “just take it”. We are presented with generations of men caught in the cuckold of a “code” that has perverted every aspect of their lives, making them constantly look out for the “hawks” who “hang around on the top of the big hotels”. It is this