The Analysis of the Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Term Paper Example

?The Curious Case of Benjamin Button The story starts with a clock maker’s desire to bring back time. Correspondingly, Benjamin was born old and grewyounger as time passed. Along with his physical state, other aspects of his development were exceptionally mature. The story beautifully progressed until he finally became an infant. “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” is a film that intriguingly and comprehensively highlights the different stages of human development. Brought about by aging, general deterioration occurs such as decreased skin efficiency, sensory and memory loss, and inactivity due to weaker bones and muscles. Regarding Benjamin’s physical aspects, he was brought out into this world with the body and face of an old man. Instead of having smooth and soft baby skin, he was all wrinkled and weathered. In the movie, one of the old women commented, “he just looks like my ex-husband”. Everybody was shocked because of his elderly appearance. He had liver spots and was relatively thin. Like any other elderly, he had a small amount of subcutaneous fat. At babyhood stage, he was a clumsy walker. It was not because he was still learning how to saunter but because he had very weak limbs. At 7 years old, he was in a wheel-chair. In a certain scene, he was striving hard to walk during a church service. Moreover, he was being assisted in almost all kinds of self-help skills including bathing since he was not yet able to fully rely on his dexterities. People in the old age have mobility challenges because of structural alterations in joints, ligaments, and bones. Similarly, muscle volume decreases as well as strength and endurance. As a couple of years passed, he began to wear eye glasses to cope with his low vision. He was also using a hearing device in sensing the sound of fork dropping on his plate. Indeed, hearing and seeing become challenging as each cell in the body deteriorates. Furthermore, his voice sounded crackled and coarse. Due to muscle atrophy, the vocal cords lose mass and tissues become less flexible as they thin out. These changes make the voice sound “old”. As for his psychological aspect, he was concerned with death and dying. Like the senior citizens around him, he was wondering if he still had years or days to spare. One night, he asked his mother, “Mama, how much long do I got”. It is common for people in the old age to think of the imminent end. Pondering on it may help in accepting the reality of life’s end. In relation to Erik Erikson’s theory, the last developmental stage is concerned with integrity versus despair. This means that people would have honor if they would feel that they have led an overall successful life. On the other hand, despair would ensue if the past seems to be riddled with regrets, mistakes, frustrations, and wasted opportunities. Benjamin’s exasperation was apparent when he was reflecting on what was happening day by day. He noticed the routine of his household and his neighbourhood. Typically, folks wake up at 5:30 and everyone goes on with their respective schedules. Hence, when a visitor came and shared his experiences in various places, Benjamin got greatly interested. He was very much curious of the culture and the people outside his safe town. He also wanted to lead a rich life. Seemingly, he had the motivation to break free from the repetitive norm and have integrity by pursuing life’s challenges. He agreed to go out and have a glimpse of the alfresco world. Though he lost his way home and tediously walked going home until midnight, he branded that day as the best one in his life. He probably said that because it was the moment when he discovered that he can work towards achieving integrity in his ostensibly despairing existence. Regarding his socio emotional aspect, he did not have much of a hard time blending in at first since they all looked the same. Like the others in the nursing home, he had some routines that made him feel secure. Older adults feel safer when they do not have to worry much about other’s affairs. In the home, the aged individuals were quite content with their usual day. They engaged in their hobbies and enjoyed meals prepared for them. According to the disengagement theory, senior citizens have inhibited participation in major features of the society. Since they tend to be free from kinship and occupational responsibilities, they can have the time to enjoy what is left of their years. As a result, they do not intermingle much and the ranges of their activities narrow down. As Benjamin was growing, he had observed that people come and go. He had come to accept that relationships may not last so long. When a certain elderly died, another would come and stay in the house. Aside from the expected grief, this situation may have an overwhelming effect on some. When it comes to his relationships, he clearly loved her mother very much. Though they need peaceful time to themselves, people in the old age also crave for meaningful relationships. Most of the time, they feel that they get ignored by others. They may suffer from depression or low self-esteem since they think that they are already useless since they cannot anymore keep up with the fast pace of living. Considering social issues many ageing individuals get lonely because they do not get much attention from their kin. For instance, the movie showed that most family only come to visit on major holidays. Benjamin got to meet Daisy during Thanks Giving. The girl was visiting her grandmother for the celebration. Unfortunately, many families ignore their grandparents especially after they send them to geriatric service providers. Many old adults lament of being disregarded by their own children. In addition, a number of senior citizens find it dismal to have no one to talk to. As a result, their social skills slacken and most of them develop the habit to talk to themselves. Obviously, several of them start a monologue conversation when someone comes near or appears in sight. For example, when Benjamin was told to go back to his room after being sanctioned for staying with Daisy under a bed, his roommate suddenly talked about his experiences of being struck by lightning seven times. One of the social issues concerning the aging population is meaningful communication. Few of the present generation have the patience to sit down and listen to advice and narrations of their grandparents. When people do not take time to understand their interests and values, they incline towards self-pity. Moreover, the film depicted the nursing home as being understaffed. The only ones managing the facility were a couple. In connection to current conditions, there are still some establishments that do not have enough care givers. Some nurses get overworked and could not render quality time to each patient because of the uneven ratio. What about families who do not have the finances to send their elderly to care providers? It is a fact that many seniors do not get the care that they deserve due to insufficient support. Some government systems do not have feasible programs to protect the aged sector of the society. In conclusion, the picture piques psychological, physiological, social, and even philosophical themes. It also denotes how an individual transforms in the passage of time. People do not only change because they are innately programmed that way. Individuals also evolve with the variations of the environment. Nonetheless, no matter how different each person leads his life; all beings have the same ultimate end. Read More