Over the course of his lifetime in Mystic River, Jimmy observes several horrific actions that, ultimately, contribute to the flaws he struggles to overcome. As a child, he overlooks the abduction of his friend, Dave. Jimmy struggles with this for the duration of his life. Later, Jimmy serves two years in prison for stealing cigarettes. Sixteen years after, he struggles complying with the police in a search for his daughter’s murderer, and finds himself, in turn, murdering the man who he suspects kills his daughter. How can someone with such a troublesome, snake-bitten life escape his fate while carrying the ignominy of an ex-convict?
Unfortunately, as ancient-Greeks agree, Jimmy’s fate is impossible to escape. Throughout the movie, Jimmy attempts to counter his misfortune and alter his future by protecting his daughter. He makes sure no one takes advantage of her and does whatever it takes to prevent this. Jimmy’s possessive traits are prevalent in his adult life, as he constantly expresses his discern for Brendan, his daughter’s friend. His fate of misfortune illuminates while his flaws persist.
Consequently, Jimmy faces repercussions for his actions. He seems to resort to his criminal ways following his daughter’s death. Out of despair, he murders Dave and feels guilty after realizing Dave’s innocence. This displays Jimmy’s lack of growth from his childhood. The burden of Dave’s childhood abduction weighs heavily on Jimmy’s heart. He strays from this pain by being overprotective of his daughter and ensuring nothing happens to her. Since she is no longer alive, Jimmy feels as if her murder shows that he is an incompetent father. His criminality resurfaces as he realizes this, and it reminds him of failing his friend, Dave, as a child. He develops feelings of guilt and remorse since he lets his past dictate his future.
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ReplyDeleteEvery individual faces a tragedy or incident in their life at one point, but a majority of Jimmy's life is made up of those incidents that no one ever wants to experience. Throughout the film, Jimmy is internally damaged from the death of his own daughter, which seems to outshine all the other horrible events that occurred in his life. Jimmy remains "unsteady", mentally, throughout the rest of the film. Guilt continuously builds within him after he murders his own childhood friend, Dave. Nothing but guilt and horrendous images of his past filled the mind of Jimmy, so there could be no possible way to escape his fate of misfortune.
ReplyDeleteI like your specific connection to Greek tragedies. As hard as Jimmy tries to stay calm, his past will not leave him. He always will have that hostility and suspicion inside due to the events of his childhood. His fate was to turn out a violent and disturbed person.
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