Edward Bloom merges with the dark
and grotesque characters in the movie because he is accepts them for who they
are and does not judge them. Edward is very “sunny” and happy, but even though
he is an average citizen from his small town, he is not afraid to befriend
people who are not like him. He demonstrates his acceptance of the giant when
he and the giant agree to take a journey together and they walk alongside each
other. Edward is very eager to become is friend and is not afraid of him. The
giant’s large size and uncanny physical appearance does not put a wedge in
Edward’s ability to befriend him. Another instance in which Edward befriends
dark and grotesque characters is when he opens the door to the circus master’s
trailer. The circus master turns into a wolf at night and almost killed Edward,
but Edward was able to look at him as a person and not a scary being. He throws
the stick for him to go fetch it, a sign of him not being afraid of the circus
master even though he changes his form every night.
Edward came from a small town and
in this small town there was not a wide variety of different kinds of people.
When Edward left his small town, he wanted to find something new. He wanted to
explore the outside world and experience people and places, which he had never
seen before. The reason Edward is able to merge so well with the more grotesque
characters is because the grotesque characters are not judgmental and they
accept people for who they are. This is the opposite of his small town as his
small town is afraid of anything outside of the norm. The small town wanted to
kill the giant because he was so big and did not even take the time to
understand or get to know him because they were so blinded by his physical
appearance. Edward loves the way people can accept each other for who they are
without having to be judged by prejudices or physical appearances. Burton is
using Edward to send a message about how society should treat misfits. Edward
is a regular human being from a small town, yet he is able to get past unusual physical
appearances because he understands the value of humanity. Edward’s want for
adventure and his curiosity allow him to merge with the dark and grotesque
characters in the movie because he is accepting of people and places that are
outside the norm.
I really like how you contrasted Edward's ideas with those of the small town he lived in. I fully agree with your statement that the reason that Edward is able to get along so well with the characters that others may seem odd and different is because they are not judgmental and understand that everyone no matter of their demeanor deserves to be accepted. Like you said, the people in the town that Edward lived in simply wanted to kill the giant because they were afraid of him, but Edward took the time to understand him. Edward did things for others, such as rebuilding Jenny’s house, not because he was expecting to get something in return, but simply because he was a kind-hearted person. I think that Burton uses the character of Edward to show us that we should never judge someone without really getting to know him or her.
ReplyDelete- Melissa Johnston