The Red Balloon Essay

The setting is 1950's Paris, France. The main character is a young boy - perhaps seven. And the object of everyone's desires is the red balloon. Somehow it seems sentient. Somehow it seems friendly. Directed by Albert Lamorisse, "The Red Balloon" is a strangely heartwarming short film about how an innocent desire can quickly spiral into a dangerous, and often destructive, form of envy. Because, as the saying goes, "if I can't have it, no one can."
In one of the early scenes, the audience sees the red balloon's string dangling just above the grasping hands of a group of schoolboys. And every time someone gets too close, the balloon flits away, as if to say, "so close, but not quite!" This scene establishes a sense of desire in the schoolboys who want the balloon but cannot get
When the boy leaves the balloon outside to buy from a bakery, the schoolboys steal the balloon. And now that they finally have the object of their desires, the boys use slingshots to hurl stones at it. Eventually, the boy manages to rescue the balloon, but the reunion is short-lived, as the schoolboys chase him around town to steal the balloon again. In this encounter, there is clear hostility in the schoolboys' intentions as they physically hold the boy down and continue to pelt the balloon with rocks. And it all culminates when one boy steps on the balloon, popping it. This action fully captures the idea that "if i can't have it, no one can." After being refused the balloon on multiple occasions now, the boys began to lose hope that they would ever get the balloon. However, the lust for the balloon was still there, and the combination of that wanting and rejection quickly evolved into a certain spite for the balloon. Malice in their hearts now, the schoolboys set out to break the balloon for some sense of vengeance, satisfaction, and perhaps