Taxi Driver Film Analysis

In the film Taxi Driver, Travis Bickle, a middle aged man with no proclaimed direction in life in the beginning of the film. He soon enough, through his convictions about the "scum of the city," a love lost, and perhaps mental instability as a result of the Vietnam war, finds meaning in his life and carries it out through controversial actions. According to Merriam-Webster judging is defined as: "to form an opinion about (something or someone) after careful thought." Whether it be taking a girl out on a first date to a porno movie, or attempting to assassinate a senator, Travis Bickle should be judged by his intentions, rather than the consequences of his actions.
When Travis falls for Betsy, the relationship ends up derailing itself on the
One night while working, Travis picks up senator Palentine and on the drive Travis speaks inappropriately, saying that he just wants to see the city rid of all its scum. The next scene shows Travis, back in his cab, pulling over to let a man out. But the passenger wants to stay in the cab to watch the silhouette of a woman in a window above. The passenger claims the woman is his wife and that she is sleeping with a black man. He goes on hysterically about shooting his wife with a .44 Magnum. Later, at the diner, Travis pulls Wizard aside and attempts to reach out to him, saying that he has been feeling down and is having bad ideas in his head. The only thing Wizard is able to tell him is that he is a taxi driver, that "the job will become him." From this point on, Travis seems to be losing his mind more and more. As the film further progresses, Travis comes to this epiphany that Betsy "is just like the rest of them" and he sees her as being fake. Travis then buys guns and decides to change his life. We see him doing push ups and holding his fist out over an open flame, as if he is training for combat. Travis then begins to stalk Palantine. As soon as we see Travis' attempt to assassinate the senator, we see what his intentions are. Through out the film he admits to knowing nothing about politics, his personal experience with the senator was a good