Writ and Oral Orange Tom Answeeney
Million Dollar Baby Criticism January 10, 2008
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Million Dollar Baby carries many significant messages to the viewer like the portrayed opinion on euthanasia, but some are more implicit than others. Clearly portrayed in the film, although never directly confronted by the characters, is the subject of race and how blacks and whites interact. Rifts between whites and blacks are portrayed through out the film, although color itself is never the actual source of the conflict. Maggie usually fights black women in the ring and Dunn is often fighting with Eddie Dupree, whether it be training Maggie or taking his previous fighter to the championship. Lanre also is dragged into boxing an unfair match with some of the local boxers who happen to be black and the poor guy gets pummeled. Eddie denies this stereotype however as he is still Dunn’s friend and steps in to save Lanre in the earlier mentioned fight.
Much like Confucius, the film has much to tell us about how we should relate to people. Individuality is highly important to life, we must be both the judges and the rulers of ourselves, be it to decide death, or how to deal with others. Maggie, despite the rudeness of her greedy family, tells Dunn to stay of family matters. Boxing is also an individual, one on one, sport. Maggie has to fight the fight herself, having only Dunn’s training and no more than that in a fight. Family and blood are important too. While Dunn and Maggie are not really daughter and father they are still family, just a separate one from the one Maggie was born in. “Mo Cuishle” means “my darling, my blood” as Dunn finally tells Maggie the meaning of her pet name. Gender also carries some meaning in the way family does. The matters of men stay with men and likewise, the matters of women are for women. Dunn is not allowed to interfere with Maggie’s issues with her mother, Maggie never fight a man in the ring, and never pulls herself into Dunn and Dupree’s multiple conflicts, despite knowing both men.
Always protect yourself is a huge rule to life and boxing carried throughout the film. When you put your guard down, you lose. Maggie doesn’t know this when she gives her mother a house to live in. Her mother insults Maggie’s generosity by making fun of her profession, complaining about the cost of taxes and possible loss of welfare due to the new house. Maggie makes the same mistake again when she turns her make to the water weight female champion Billy the Blue Bear and takes a cheap shot that results in her being paralyzed from the neck down. Finally, she learns her lesson when her family attempts to take all her assets under the guise of visiting her in concern over her paralysis. Maggie turns them down after talking with them and tells her family to leave. Society overall is considered a very unnatural thing, like boxing in Dunn’s point of view. Humans are perhaps supposed to be recluse and casual in relationships so that one may avoid fighting. In economics, Dunn tells Maggie to avoid frivolities like TV and to next buy anything on a mortgage. It makes sense to own everything you have. You become less reliant on others and it is unfair to pay more because you can’t afford something. Political ideals, draw back to societal ideas, like always protecting yourself. Politics is the arena in which all of society’s problems are dealt with, therefore one should be prepared to face them. Also boxing is much like politics in that all conflict eventually boils down to a fight to see which side is stronger. Religion is portrayed as a means of repenting one’s sins and that is why the minister suspects Dunn of some sin he can’t forgive himself for because he comes to church so faithfully. It is always on his mind and he can’t stop thinking about it. Naturally it is assumed by both the audience and the priest that this sin is the source of conflict between him and his daughter. God is also assumed to be real through Dunn’s earlier prayer.
Euthanasia is a controversial subject encountered by the movie and the viewer sees it in the conflict between Dunn and Maggie when Dunn must decide whether or not to kill the paralyzed and willing Maggie, who had already tried to end her pathetic state. In the end Dunn gives Maggie her wish, as it is her choice, with an over dose of adrenaline. Many people are against euthanasia as it is a common opinion that some decisions are too big for any man and that the only alternative is to let nature take its course and do anything to improve that person’s life. Dunn’s choice is a difficult one as he too is challenged by this impossible decision. The other, more immediately obvious challenge to the common public opinion is whether or not a woman should fight in what is assumed to be a men only sport. The answer here is obvious as Maggie is clearly empowered by her success in boxing and happy with her new life.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
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