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November 16, 2005
Crash Sentence Correction
By having his characters desert their previously held stereotypes toward other ethnic groups, Haggis suggests to the audience that they too should reevaluate their own beliefs and any stereotypes that they themselves may have.
For Jean, it is a young black male, like the one who carjacked her. This experience confirmed her belief that wealthy, attractive white women, like herself, are targets for lower class black men.
However, sometimes people do fulfill a certain stereotype that society holds towards them.
Racism is the most apparent theme that is developed throughout Crash, and it is manifested most notably through the actions and interactions of the characters.
When things are in focus, the characters tend to break free from stereotypes; meaning that either they have stopped judging others or others have stopped judging them.
Most of the time, things are so out of focus, that all we see are the faces of the people who possess the stereotypes.
The director establishes this brief, but courteous, exchange in order to emphasize the drastic change in each character's attitude that is about to take place.
In this scene Richard Cabot, the district attorney of Los Angeles, and his wife, Jean, return home from having just had their card stolen. They immediately get the locks on their doors changed because neither of the two, both of whom are caucasian, feel safe.
When semiotically interpreting a movie, colors are just as important to pay attention to as the words are because both speak the semantic language.
There are also other ways in which Daniel does not conform to the typical stereotypes held towards Hispanics.
Haggis keeps the backgrounds in the film vague to convey a sense of ambiguity, while simultaneously using various symbols to create a subliminal holiday feel. He thereby offsets the ambiguity by coupling it with something that can bring us familiarity and relief.
St. Christopher is a religious figure that people of Christian faith often time carry with them because he is believed to protect those with whom he travels.
Guns symbolize the isolation that humans feel, which ultimately drives them emotionally, and often times violently, crash into one another.
Although he knows all the reasons why his people struggle to succeed in such a segregated world, he still holds stereotypes toward his community.
The focus on the phone coming out of Jean’s hand and hitting the floor symbolizes her letting go of her racist beliefs, through which her angry and intolerant mentality was evident.
As the viewer, I know that none of the characters completely fit into any of the categories because I have had the chance to see the different facets of each person. Yet the director also displays them in a way in which they appear to identify with their specific stereotype.
We, as members of a once extremely segregated society, always seem to associate the juxtaposition of black and white with skin color.
This advertisement epitomizes American culture, as the young boy stands for youth, fun and hope.
The scene entitled “Trust” not only shows that one person can have two completely different sides, but it also suggests that interpreting a person like this should not be a cut and dry process.
Posted by lcissullivan at November 16, 2005 08:00 PM
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