Cool Hand Luke example essay topic

Cool Hand Luke, directed by Stuart Rosenberg, has effectively earne itself a spot amongst te all-time classics of American films. The film's musical score, casting, and cinematography all make vital contributions to its effectiveness. However, the film's drawing of allegorical parallels - the life of teh main character, luke, projected onto the life of Jesus Christ - is indicative of the genius that earns Cool Hand Luke such everlasting universal acclaim. Certainly, one of the initial insightful images of Luke that suggest a Christ-like presence follows the famed egg scene. After Luke eats fifty eggs as part of a prison-wide wager, he is left lying on a table in the same supine position arms spread lengthwise and feet draped one on top of another- that is characteristic of teh traditional image of christ's death on the cross.

Another telling scene is that of teh meal that follows Luke's second return to camp. Lue has ben beaten and broken by the guards. Hence, he is unable to eat his portion of the food. Luke's mates take up his slack in order to enable him to avoid another night in "the box". This scene bears a striking resemblance to typical images of he Last Supper. Perhaps most powerful, though, is Luke's return to the bunks.

In the scene that follows Luke's most severe beating yet, his "friends " turn their backs on hi ad virtually refuse to acknowledge his mere existence. Undoubtedly, the other prisoners turning their backs is an allusion to that of Christ's own disciples in the Bible. Further, Luke's role as a symbol of Christ plays quietly but evidently against the chain gang boss's subtle role as a symbol for Satan. Throughout the film, he is simply referred to as "the man with no eyes", in reference to his eternal donning f dark sunglasses. Luke's foremost follower would later obliterate those same "eyes" in one of the final scenes. Apparent pointing to this correlation occurs in the roadside scene in which "the man with no eyes" shoots the serpent out of Luke's hand.

This allusion, coupled with the boss's' inhuman characteristics, encompasses the portrait of bt one of Luke's multiple antagonists. probably the most closely drawn metaphor for Christ's life, though, occurs at the conclusion of the picture. After Luke and Dragline escape yet again, the pair departs one another at Luke's insistence. Dragline, however, is located by the police almost immediately following the split. Most ironically, none other than Dragline makes Luk's undoing possible himself! Luke retreats to a church for a prayer of sorts; however, with Dragline's assistance to the police, Luke is quickly forum and instantly executed, without trial.

This is a blatant and obvious allusion to Judas' betrayal of Christ. As well, this similarity in events efectiely completes the sum of the film's allegory. Cool Hand Luke bears remarkable resemblance to the life of Christ, as we are to suspect from the title itself. Luke is the book of the Bible that who oly account the life and death of Christ, which makes the protagonist " sname tremendously purposeful. The view of Luke as a symbol for Jesus is further solidified throughout the film by events, images, and other characters that rhythmically parallel those of Christ.

For good measure and profound effect, the image with which we are left is one of Luke's face being blended with a shot of a crossroads in the country. this crossroads intersection is obviously intended to invoke an image of the cross, and this shot leaves even the most oblivious viewer with insight into the allegory that is the most basic premise of the film.