Cool Hand Luke Essay Example
Esther Oh
2/5/09
Sociology 150A
In the movie “Cool Hand Luke,” it seems that Lucas Jackson continuous rebellion about conformist ideals resulted in his immortality, regardless of his eventual death. In the beginning of the movie, Jackson’s choice to cut off the heads of parking meters is not only symbolic of breaking a norm, but also the breaking of something that restricts individuals from freely going about their lives. Parking meters cap the amount of time a person can stay in a certain place, thus keeping the individual in control and following the rules. The breakage of these restraints of freedom clearly represents Jackson’s own desire to rupture the limitations that are placed upon him by society. Although he is drunk and perhaps not in the best state of mind, he chooses not to go off on a shooting spree or rob a place, but rather Jackson breaks what he believes hinders society from being free. Unfortunately, he is not met with kindness and praise for attempting to liberate himself and society, but rather sent to jail, the ultimate place of restriction. Luke’s lack of intimidation proves to show that he is not the usual “new meat” prisoner. He seems to possess a pride that cannot even be penetrated by an environment as harsh as jail. It is almost as if Luke puts himself to a higher standard of human, and refuses to be degraded to a level of “new meat.” Initially, Luke’s smug demeanor is extremely odd and threatening, and therefore met with immense indignation from Dragline and his peers. An example of this is when Luke is challenged to a fight after he ruthlessly asserts his opinion upon Dragline’s despicable comment regarding a woman he saw during work. Luke is continuously beaten harshly, but he continues to stand his ground every time. Dragline and Luke seem to butt heads quite often throughout the movie, and Luke seems to never give up regardless of how badly he is beaten. There is a glimpse of hope as he wins one of the fight, and ends up
2/5/09
Sociology 150A
In the movie “Cool Hand Luke,” it seems that Lucas Jackson continuous rebellion about conformist ideals resulted in his immortality, regardless of his eventual death. In the beginning of the movie, Jackson’s choice to cut off the heads of parking meters is not only symbolic of breaking a norm, but also the breaking of something that restricts individuals from freely going about their lives. Parking meters cap the amount of time a person can stay in a certain place, thus keeping the individual in control and following the rules. The breakage of these restraints of freedom clearly represents Jackson’s own desire to rupture the limitations that are placed upon him by society. Although he is drunk and perhaps not in the best state of mind, he chooses not to go off on a shooting spree or rob a place, but rather Jackson breaks what he believes hinders society from being free. Unfortunately, he is not met with kindness and praise for attempting to liberate himself and society, but rather sent to jail, the ultimate place of restriction. Luke’s lack of intimidation proves to show that he is not the usual “new meat” prisoner. He seems to possess a pride that cannot even be penetrated by an environment as harsh as jail. It is almost as if Luke puts himself to a higher standard of human, and refuses to be degraded to a level of “new meat.” Initially, Luke’s smug demeanor is extremely odd and threatening, and therefore met with immense indignation from Dragline and his peers. An example of this is when Luke is challenged to a fight after he ruthlessly asserts his opinion upon Dragline’s despicable comment regarding a woman he saw during work. Luke is continuously beaten harshly, but he continues to stand his ground every time. Dragline and Luke seem to butt heads quite often throughout the movie, and Luke seems to never give up regardless of how badly he is beaten. There is a glimpse of hope as he wins one of the fight, and ends up