The Grey
Structuralism and The Grey
You might think that the literary movement of structuralism only applies to literature such as novels and poetry but you might be surprised to see that it is applicable to almost any form of art, specifically Joe Carnahan’s film, The Grey. The Grey is a film that captures the dangers a man faces while trying to survive out in the wilderness after narrowly escaping death in a deadly plane crash with six other men. All the while, being hunted by wolves. Throughout this essay I will examine the film as a whole by breaking down the “langue”(Parker 46) and “parole”(Parker 46) as well applying literary terms from Structuralism like “narratology”(Parker 66), “binary opposition”(Parker 45), “focalization”(Prker 71) and “Embedding”(Parker 69) to help you better understand the relationship between scenes and the overall structure of the film. Before we can understand the pieces that shape the film as a whole, we must first understand the literary terms being used within the context of this essay. The …show more content…
“langue”(Parker 46), or the language of the film, represents the rules or structure of how the film itself is laid out. Meaning the film only works because the characters are built on top of a formula in which each instance plays a role in inevitably reaching a specific point. These instances are described in structuralism as the “parole”(Parker 46). Within the context of The Grey, each “parole”(Parker 46) could be considered any particular scene that plays an essential role in developing the structure of the “langue”(Parker 46). To give an example, at the end of the film, the main character (John Ottway) prepares to fight the Alpha wolf by himself, after he finds himself in the heart of the wolf den. We can assume that the structure of the film is based around the fact that in the end, the main character will fight this wolf alone. Logically, he would never have made it that deep into the den without the help of the supporting characters. At the same time, he would have never found himself alone if the supporting characters had lived. So we can conclude that a “parole”(Parker 46) of the film would be the build up between each death, leading to the isolated conflict between the main character and the wolf. After getting a sense of the cinematic language in regards to this film, we can now take a closer look at the “parole”(Parker 46) by applying specific terms from structuralism to the characteristics of each scene. Applicable terms such as “narratology”(Parker 66), which is defined as the structuralist study of the narrative, and “Focalization”(Parker 71) which is used within the “narratology”(Parker 66) to determine the focal point of the story. The “focalizer”(Parker 72) refers to the exterior narrator of the film, or the point of view in which the story is told, while the “focalized”(Parker 72) refers to where the “focalizer”(Parker 72) directs the attention of story. What is being “focalized”(Parker 72) is usually an object or person. If we apply these terms to The Grey we can acknowledge that Ottway is the “focalizer”(Parker 72) because of the consistent narration of his inner monologue, as well as what’s being “focalized”(Parker 72). “A job at the end of the world. A salaried killer for a big petroleum company. I don’t know why I did half the things I’ve done but I know this is where I belong. Surrounded by my own; Ex-cons, fugitives, drifters, assholes”(The Grey). Right from the start, The first lines of the film are a direct indication that Ottway is being “focalized”(Parker 72). The introduction also gives you a brief understanding of the “narratology”(Parker 66) that comes into play throughout the narrative, which is used within the context of his inner monologue. Another structuralist term we can apply to The Grey is “Embedding”(Parker 69), or “nesting”(Parker 69) which can be described as a story within a story.
There are scenes throughout the film depicting Ottway lying in bed with a woman who we can acknowledge as his wife. Ottway never talks to any of the other supporting characters about her, but he seems to always be thinking of her in secrecy. “Theres not a second goes by where I’m not thinking of you in some way. I want to see your face, feel your hands in mine. Feel you against me. I know that will never be. You left me and I can’t get you back…”(The Grey). Here is an example of the inner monologue within the first flashback Ottway has. It is clear that he misses her, but it is unclear what happened to her. The “embedding”(Parker 69) of this instance within the narrative creates a “binary opposition”(Parker 45) that compares the struggles of Ottway’s past with the struggles he faces in the
present.
As I mentioned in the last paragraph, The use of “embedding”(Parker 69) created a “binary opposition”(Parker 45), which Parker describes as “interpreting the world by juxtaposing different concepts against each other…”(Parker 45). For example,we can understand hot and cold by the differences we associate with them. I’ve taken screenshots from the example I was discussing in the last paragraph to help you grasp a visual understanding of the binaries taking place in the scene. Just within the context of the two screenshots above, it is apparent that there is a visual binary between the temperature and color of both scenes. In the first image, the sunrise is shown coming through the window as Ottway and his wife lie in bed, creating an intimate sense of warmth. But that warmth is halted by the following scene where Ottway sits alone in a cold crowded bar. This binary illustrates exactly how unwelcoming the bar is and how if it were up to him, he would much rather be in bed with his wife.
Overall, the literary approach to structuralism can easily exist within the context of Carnahan’s The Grey, as well as any cinematic film by simply looking for the “paroles”(Parker 45) within the “langue”(Parker 45). As well as applying an acknowledgement of “binary oppositions”(Parker 45), “focalization”(Parker 71) and “embedding”(Parker 69) within the “narratology”(Parker 66) and how each of those terms can apply to ideals of structuralism.
Works Cited
The Grey. Dir. Joe Carnahan. Perf. Liam Neeson. Open Road Films (II), Inferno Distribution, LD Entertainment, 2012. Film.
Parker, Robert Dale. How to Interpret Literature: Critical Theory for Literary and Cultural Studies. New York: Oxford UP, 2008. Print.
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You might think that the literary movement of structuralism only applies to literature such as novels and poetry but you might be surprised to see that it is applicable to almost any form of art, specifically Joe Carnahan’s film, The Grey. The Grey is a film that captures the dangers a man faces while trying to survive out in the wilderness after narrowly escaping death in a deadly plane crash with six other men. All the while, being hunted by wolves. Throughout this essay I will examine the film as a whole by breaking down the “langue”(Parker 46) and “parole”(Parker 46) as well applying literary terms from Structuralism like “narratology”(Parker 66), “binary opposition”(Parker 45), “focalization”(Prker 71) and “Embedding”(Parker 69) to help you better understand the relationship between scenes and the overall structure of the film. Before we can understand the pieces that shape the film as a whole, we must first understand the literary terms being used within the context of this essay. The …show more content…
“langue”(Parker 46), or the language of the film, represents the rules or structure of how the film itself is laid out. Meaning the film only works because the characters are built on top of a formula in which each instance plays a role in inevitably reaching a specific point. These instances are described in structuralism as the “parole”(Parker 46). Within the context of The Grey, each “parole”(Parker 46) could be considered any particular scene that plays an essential role in developing the structure of the “langue”(Parker 46). To give an example, at the end of the film, the main character (John Ottway) prepares to fight the Alpha wolf by himself, after he finds himself in the heart of the wolf den. We can assume that the structure of the film is based around the fact that in the end, the main character will fight this wolf alone. Logically, he would never have made it that deep into the den without the help of the supporting characters. At the same time, he would have never found himself alone if the supporting characters had lived. So we can conclude that a “parole”(Parker 46) of the film would be the build up between each death, leading to the isolated conflict between the main character and the wolf. After getting a sense of the cinematic language in regards to this film, we can now take a closer look at the “parole”(Parker 46) by applying specific terms from structuralism to the characteristics of each scene. Applicable terms such as “narratology”(Parker 66), which is defined as the structuralist study of the narrative, and “Focalization”(Parker 71) which is used within the “narratology”(Parker 66) to determine the focal point of the story. The “focalizer”(Parker 72) refers to the exterior narrator of the film, or the point of view in which the story is told, while the “focalized”(Parker 72) refers to where the “focalizer”(Parker 72) directs the attention of story. What is being “focalized”(Parker 72) is usually an object or person. If we apply these terms to The Grey we can acknowledge that Ottway is the “focalizer”(Parker 72) because of the consistent narration of his inner monologue, as well as what’s being “focalized”(Parker 72). “A job at the end of the world. A salaried killer for a big petroleum company. I don’t know why I did half the things I’ve done but I know this is where I belong. Surrounded by my own; Ex-cons, fugitives, drifters, assholes”(The Grey). Right from the start, The first lines of the film are a direct indication that Ottway is being “focalized”(Parker 72). The introduction also gives you a brief understanding of the “narratology”(Parker 66) that comes into play throughout the narrative, which is used within the context of his inner monologue. Another structuralist term we can apply to The Grey is “Embedding”(Parker 69), or “nesting”(Parker 69) which can be described as a story within a story.
There are scenes throughout the film depicting Ottway lying in bed with a woman who we can acknowledge as his wife. Ottway never talks to any of the other supporting characters about her, but he seems to always be thinking of her in secrecy. “Theres not a second goes by where I’m not thinking of you in some way. I want to see your face, feel your hands in mine. Feel you against me. I know that will never be. You left me and I can’t get you back…”(The Grey). Here is an example of the inner monologue within the first flashback Ottway has. It is clear that he misses her, but it is unclear what happened to her. The “embedding”(Parker 69) of this instance within the narrative creates a “binary opposition”(Parker 45) that compares the struggles of Ottway’s past with the struggles he faces in the
present.
As I mentioned in the last paragraph, The use of “embedding”(Parker 69) created a “binary opposition”(Parker 45), which Parker describes as “interpreting the world by juxtaposing different concepts against each other…”(Parker 45). For example,we can understand hot and cold by the differences we associate with them. I’ve taken screenshots from the example I was discussing in the last paragraph to help you grasp a visual understanding of the binaries taking place in the scene. Just within the context of the two screenshots above, it is apparent that there is a visual binary between the temperature and color of both scenes. In the first image, the sunrise is shown coming through the window as Ottway and his wife lie in bed, creating an intimate sense of warmth. But that warmth is halted by the following scene where Ottway sits alone in a cold crowded bar. This binary illustrates exactly how unwelcoming the bar is and how if it were up to him, he would much rather be in bed with his wife.
Overall, the literary approach to structuralism can easily exist within the context of Carnahan’s The Grey, as well as any cinematic film by simply looking for the “paroles”(Parker 45) within the “langue”(Parker 45). As well as applying an acknowledgement of “binary oppositions”(Parker 45), “focalization”(Parker 71) and “embedding”(Parker 69) within the “narratology”(Parker 66) and how each of those terms can apply to ideals of structuralism.
Works Cited
The Grey. Dir. Joe Carnahan. Perf. Liam Neeson. Open Road Films (II), Inferno Distribution, LD Entertainment, 2012. Film.
Parker, Robert Dale. How to Interpret Literature: Critical Theory for Literary and Cultural Studies. New York: Oxford UP, 2008. Print.
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