Analysis of A River Runs Through It - Essay Example

HERE HERE YOUR HERE HERE Analysis of A River Runs Through It The film A River Runs Through It depicted the lifestyles and evolutionary growth of two young brothers, Paul and Norman Maclean. Their father, a Presbyterian minister, maintains a balance between strict discipline and empathetic parenting skills, using his divine understandings to drive a sense of religion and spiritualism with his two young children. The movie opens with a very powerful religious theme, with a particular emphasis on tangible creationism, in an attempt to create a connection between the audience and the physical scenery illustrating God’s creation of rivers and mountains. The narrator of the film, which is intended to be the child Norman, illustrates the lessons his father taught him about hearing God’s voice in the beauty of nature. Through the father’s emphasis on creationism, the boys learn to always be watchful of God’s divine beauty by connecting with the natural environment. There are powerful positive and negative implications of religious values in the film. A River Runs Through It illustrates the life span of Paul and Norman as they experience challenges and opportunities as they progress through adolescence and eventually adulthood. Both of these characters maintain a very distinct and diverse worldview, with Paul being more of a rebellious character interested in drinking and gambling while Norman is more level-headed and responsible with a sense of moral duty. According to contemporary theologians, modern worldviews are often conflicted (a type of imprisonment) where individuals in society have become completely detached from their religious roots. People in modern society tend to miss the mystical connections between spiritual realities and the nature of secular living in community and culture (Vujisic 321). This, according to the author, tends to separate the individual, a type of alienation, which ultimately leads to psychological and emotional problems. When a person removes God and the divine from their lifestyles, it fails to equip them with the healthy mental adjustment required to live a happy and full life holistically. Paul and Norman’s preacher father seems to understand this, trying consistently to reinforce the importance of recognizing creationism in daily life. Mostly, this is illustrated through fly-fishing and finding communality with the natural environment. Each time a fish is caught by any of the three men, the Presbyterian father reinforces that God has blessed them for their efforts, thus reinforcing that one must maintain a worldview that is consistent and relevant to the concepts of religion and God. The film does an excellent job of attempting to make the audience consider the role of religion in finding personal fulfillment and in establishing positive family values that can be applied to everyday lifestyle. A River Runs Through It, though occurring during the period between approximately 1919 to 1970, illustrates how this detachment from religion creates individuals in society that have no spirituality or self-control. When Paul becomes a young adult, he often frequents a local night club where he engages in heavy, debt-burdening poker playing and excessive drinking with others in the community. During one scene of the film, Norman’s girlfriend assigns Norman to take her brother fishing, who shows up exceedingly drunken and unable to fish. Alongside him is a young woman with a very bad reputation for being a deviant and a drinker, who is also unable to function and eventually passes out from her over-drinking. A River Runs Through It illustrates the type of character that is developed when they lose touch with religion. The drunken woman aforementioned has a very vulgar mouth and a very demeaning personality that is practically devoid of shame and self-control. This individual seems to have a worldview that is very disconnected with the divine. It should be recognized that a worldview is “a commitment, a fundamental orientation of the heart, expressed in one’s view of the foundation of reality” (Sire 20). The film illustrates how the moral guidance, especially for Norman, has been influenced by maintaining a worldview that respects religion and nature. By showing the comparison between individuals that fall victim to secular lifestyle, referring again to the young female with drunken and vulgar tendencies, it reinforces that maintaining a worldview with God as a focus creates a better-adjusted and moral individual in society. On a different note, the film also depicts the potential dangers of blasphemy, a common and recurring theme throughout the film, even being performed by Paul and Norman. It is common that God’s name is taken in vain, using a curse word in conjunction with reciting the name of God to express their awe or dissatisfaction with certain social or lifestyle scenarios. For instance, to exclaim “Jesus, Norman!” or “God damn it!” occur regularly throughout the film. Theologians attempt often to illustrate the danger of blasphemy, reinforcing that there will likely be consequences for conducting in these behaviors. In the Holy Bible, Matthew 12:31 provides wisdom from Jesus Christ stating that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is the only mortal sin conducted by men that will never receive forgiveness (Petty 1). Those that attempt to express the gospel of Christ reiterate regularly that God represents a triune of deities, including God Himself, the Holy Spirit, and His son Jesus Christ. To blaspheme any of these three, therefore, represents blasphemous statements against the Holy Spirit. It was necessary to mention this disparity between positive religious aspects of the film and the notion that Jesus made it abundantly clear that blasphemy against Him would lead to an unpardonable sin being conducted. If one were to take this statement literally and attempt to apply it to the film, it could be that Paul was chastised for this disrespect against God and the Holy Spirit. Paul was murdered because of his drunkenness and, it would appear, his large debts that he had incurred against some shady characters in the film. Nearly every bone in his hand had been broken on the evening he was killed, which is a common tactic that mafia or loan sharks attempt to elicit against those that owe money or have wronged them in some fashion. If the audience of the film is to assume that Jesus was quite serious about blasphemy being an absolutely unpardonable sin, then it could perhaps be reasonably concluded that God enacted his revenge for blasphemous behavior against the Holy Spirit against Paul. What was most interesting about Paul’s murder is that there were very few emotions stemming from Norman’s father and his mother when Norman was forced to deliver the news of what had happened to their son the evening prior. Perhaps the audience is left to assume that the parents of Paul actually expected this type of end for the rebellious and often-intoxicated son, referencing concepts of the Holy Bible related to judgment and retribution for sins. Even the narrator, Norman, indicated that Paul’s death was never spoken of again. Perhaps the film attempts to illustrate that those with a worldview that respects God and His word believe that it is dangerous or taboo to discuss when one believes that it could be God Himself that enacted justice against someone for poor behavior or even blasphemous activity. This is an interesting concept to examine, since Norman maintained a more ethical mannerism while Paul, on the other hand, consistently seemed to forget about self-control that is achievable by finding communion with God and following His doctrines on behavior modification and avoiding sins, both pardonable and unforgiveable. Again, assuming that there genuinely is an unforgiveable sin with no hope of being forgiven, Paul might be an example to society of those that have lost connection with a religious worldview and perform their lifestyles and behaviors against their own impulses or desires. As illustrated, the film shows a very distinct set of differences related to religious concepts, with a strong emphasis on blasphemous behavior, but also respecting the notion of creationism as a means of connecting with the divine. What makes this film so interesting for analysis is that it manages to show the positive benefits of religious following and the dangers of moving away, mentally and physically, from the concepts identified by the divine about how to conduct oneself in society. A River Runs Through It is a testament to potential retribution for sins conducted against God and also his tender mercies for those that show devotion and follow His lifestyle principles of moral behavior and ethical mannerism. The film could serve as a very powerful set of learning lessons for individuals both seeking God and those that care little about His dogma about how to build a more positive life by following the advices and lifestyle structures outlined by the divine. Because of these duplicitous lessons, the film should be viewed by both the faithful and the troubled in order to reinforce very potent lessons about the importance of recognizing and respecting religion and creationism. Offers theologians, one should rejoice significantly in the Lord to be covered with the veil of righteousness (Baxter 3). Works Cited Baxter, Mary M. A Divine Revelation of Heaven. New Kensington: Whitaker House, 1984. Print. Petty, D. The Expository Files: Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. September 1996. Web. April 5, 2013 Sire, James W. The Universe Next Door: A Basic Worldview Catalog. 5th ed. England: Intervaristy Press, 2009. Print. Vujisic, Zoran. Transcending the Limitations of Worldview and Achieving Mental Health, Self-Actualization, and Tolerance through Religious Psychotherapeutic Methodologies: A Call for Scientific Investigation. 2010. Web. April 5, 2013 Read More