Living life in the big city can give you a different view on the world. When we first met Travis, he appeared to be a simple, almost nieve young man. Just coming to New York after being released from the war he had a certain innocent demeanor about him. His simplicity in clothing and appearance says that he was just a working class man at first glance. Hearing that he will go to any neighborhood on the night shift in the 70's gives the idea that maybe he has seen alot in the war or he just doesn't have any idea that some neighborhoods are bad news.
When he sees a young lady he is interested in he puts on suit. Other than that scene, we see the same Travis to this point. His simplicity changes when there date ends abruptly. We see a much angrier side of him.
He tells us how dirty and disgusting the city is throughout the film. Changing himself is really when we see the biggest change in Travis. He starts working out, cuts his hair into a mohawk and begins to have a tough or more rugged appearance.
He came back from the war a simple man. He had to live out his anger to become a hero.
Jill Loucks
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Very concise and to the point. You notice many details of his backstory, and how his appearance signals inner change. Good work.
ReplyDeleteHow does he become a hero? Do you think his heroism is on purpose or does he arrive at it purely by accident? I wonder what Travis' larger role as a character is to the social implications of soldiers, in particular Marines, being placed back into society with no support system. I think when considering his character its important to think about larger context as well. What was Betsy's role and Iris's role in Travis' journey? When you say he changes himself and has a more rugged appearance, go on to tell me why. For example, does it signal this renegade Marine going to war? Divulge a little bit more on the analysis end, you do a great job of telling me what you see, now just go a bit further and tell me why you believe the director made those choices. Thanks for posting!