Monday, March 7, 2016

The Great Fall

Greek tragedy- to start with everything and end with nothing.
This “fall from fortune” in Mystic River is most prevalent in Brendan Harris, Katie Markum’s boyfriend. He begins with a perfect story- completely head over heels in love with his girlfriend. And, believe it or not, even though he’s a Harris, Katie feels the same way. The couple even plans to elope to Las Vegas, where they will presumably tie the knot and leave their semi-dysfunctional families behind.
But don’t forget about the fall.
In a tragic turn of events, Brendan’s future is ripped away from him in a matter of days. Katie’s dead. He’s a suspect. He’ll never find that love again. And- plot twist- his little mute brother, who he spent his life protecting, is the murderer.
One could say that at one point Brendan had it all. His prized possession was Katie; she was the light of his life. Even if all were dark around him (his troubled family and home life, disapproval of his relationship, etc.) as long as she shone on him, he’d be alright. But when her light is extinguished, not only does he lose his girl, he loses his family as well. His brother killed her. How can someone you spent your whole life caring for stab you in the back like that?

Brendan is innocent in this waterfall of events. For example, while Jimmy Markum could be held responsible for his own fall (he did kill an innocent man, which haunts him), Brendan was just a kid in love. All he did was protect his brother- from learning sign language so he wouldn’t feel left out, to not being embarrassed by him in public- and what he was awarded was a dead girlfriend.

4 comments:

  1. Brendan's character is very similar to Desdemona from Othello. Both Desdemona and Brendan were victims of tragic events and deserved none of it, both of their loved ones died, and they were both innocent throughout the whole story. Desdemona had everything in the beginning, a husband, love, and status but by the end she lost it all through death.

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  2. I agree with you in saying that Brendan is innocent throughout Mystic River. From a perspective one can conclude that Brendan has everything he needs in life. In reality, though, he is the product of a pessimistic mother and deceased father. Not only does Brendan have to face the truth of the disapproval of his relationship from his mother, but he too has to conquer living life without a father figure. This has a significant impact on his fall.

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  3. Pointing out the innocence of Brendan is strikingly true. Brendan was in love and had plans on marrying the girl he loves. In a blink of an eye, his world comes crashing down. Throughout the movie, the audience could infer that Brendan has some type of blood on his hands, but in reality, he is a damaged kid who had no hand in the tragic events that played out.

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  4. It's interesting to note not only does Brendan experience a fall, but so does Katie herself. Brendan's fall is losing Katie; similarly, Katie's fall is death during her prime. Like Brendan, Katie is an innocent--mostly--whose whole life is suddenly ripped out from under her. This devastating parallel marks the relationship between Brendan and Katie as that of a classic Greek tragedy.

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