Research Paper on movie Harold and Maude from 1971 - Essay Example

In addition Harold is obsessed with death and funerals and happens to attend strange funerals for fun. In the process of attending these funerals Harold meets Maude an elderly ex-concentration camp lady. The main theme is fixed on Harold who befriends the 79 old women named Maude. Harold lived in a big mansion with his mother where he attempts mock suicides and also attends funerals for people he didn’t know, he finally meets Maude the old woman and they become friends. However the two friends are directly in contrast of each other whereby Harold has no meaning in the society he lives in while the old woman who has been to concentration camp marked by her tattooed ID on her arm is light hearted, energetic and a senior citizen.

```````` Every actor in this movie seems to have his/her own way of thinking or acting. Within the cast we expect that Mrs. Chasen and her son should have been very close. But as it turns out each is pre occupied with their own issues. Mrs. Chasen seems much pre-occupied with her social image and her businesses at the expense of her son’s social life. Ironically we would have expected that Harold and Maude should find nothing common between them but as the movie unfolds we see that the two find solace in each other to an extent that they fall in love with each other.

Identify any stimulus that may be prompting behaviors. The entire story line is a mixed outcome of behavior changes that arise out of social interactions that act as the stimulus for behavior change. From the onset Harold’s behavior as an introverted rich kid who is only obsessed or fascinated by death is a behavior he has adopted that is as a result of his mother’s actions. Mrs. Chasens actions act as the stimulating factors for Harold’s behavior change. Instead of Mrs. Chasen treating her son Harold as a mature 20 year old she treats him as a baby and want