Movie Bull Questions Ben example essay topic

The Great Santini -1- The Great Santini The Great Santini is a very powerful, gut-wrenching movie which portrays the life of a martinet ish Marine, Bull Meechum and his family. The self- proclaimed Great Santini and his wife, Lillian have four children Ben, Mary Anne, Karen and Matthew. Bull's position as a Marine pilot has resulted in a numerous variety of relocations, and hardships on his family. The school-aged children are all searching for an identity for themselves while simultaneously learning where they fit in the family dynamic.

The Meechum family is similar to many other families in a limited number of ways. The siblings often tease and bicker with each other naturally, while every member of the family shows the utmost respect for Bull and his position in the family. Although the family demonstrates characteristics of a "normal" family in some aspects, much of their behavior represents dysfunction. The actions and beliefs of this family maintain the levels of dysfunction in a vast number of ways.

Primarily, it is revealed that everyone in the family is afraid of Bull in one way or another, and the respect that is shown to him is a result of his position in the military and not due to their love for their father's personal qualities. It might be suggested that Bull is more of a military officer than a father figure or a loving husband. This can be demonstrated in his effort to physically abuse his wife for questioning him. Further dysfunction is represented when Lillian comes to the defense of Bull, claiming that harsh words never hurt anyone.

The Great Santini -2- Ben's position of the oldest son leads him to receive the prime attention of his father in most instances. Bull expects Ben to strive to be just like him, and uphold the same interests as his father. In one instance in the movie Ben talks to his father about his disinterest in fighting with the Marine Corps in attempt to address his own desires. Bull responded by telling Ben that he would be just like his father, and solidified this demand by presenting Ben with his pilot fighter jacket on his eighteenth birthday. The excessive attention given to Ben minimizes the attention available for the remaining children and Bull's own wife, leaving them striving in any possible way to gain the interest of The Great Santini. This can be affirmed by Bull's disinterest in his youngest daughter, Karen's high achievement English essay.

Further confirmation comes from his emotionless departure following Mary Anne's claim of being impregnated by a black, Pacifist, homosexual, an obviously unacceptable decision according to Bull's teachings. Additionally, it appears that Lillian is attempting to forge a good, healthy relationship by receiving attention from Ben in replacement of her husband's negliance. Regardless of the minimal attention given to the children, Bull made it clear that Meechum children "get the best grades, win awards, and excelled in sports". It was apparent that Bull wanted his family to be recognized as the best by others even if he couldn't do it himself. In addition to Bull's dysfunctional interpersonal relationships, he has some harmful personal qualities that affect him individually, along with his family. Bull's commanding officer suggested that Bull is on his way to becoming an alcoholic, if he The Great Santini -3- isn't one already.

This point is further illustrated when one of Ben's teammates mentions that he knows an alcoholic when he sees one, as Bull barges into the men's locker room in effort to prep Ben for the basketball game. Nevertheless, Bull takes Ben out for drinks on his eighteenth birthday and encourages him to drink until the point where he can't even stand up to hear the rest of his family singing Happy Birthday to him. Alcohol plays a significant part in the life of Bull Meechum in that the only time anyone has heard any expression of personal emotion from him, was after drinking. Bull has major difficulty in expressing personal feelings toward others, and refrains from doing so in any way. Additionally, Bull illustrates a fear of having people know him as a person.

When Mary Anne attempts to have a conversation with her father he responds by admitting that he doesn't want anyone to get to know him. Furthermore, Lillian advises her children to assess their father's mood by interpreting signals that he gives off in substitution for his words. Bull's inability to apologize was exemplified in the movie when Bull began practicing basketball while his family was sleeping, in an unconscious effort to admit previous defeat to his son. Ultimately, Bull placed power and respect at a higher level of importance than developing close interpersonal relationships with his family.

Besides Bull's influence, the Meechum family was also influenced by gender and culture. The influences of a white, southern, Baptist, military family were prevalent in all aspects of the movie. The most influential characteristic represented was gender. As a result of being the oldest male child, Ben was assumed to be the one to follow in his The Great Santini -4- father's footsteps.

On many occasions Bull challenged Ben's manhood by bullying and threatening him. At one point in the movie Bull questions Ben about "having no gonads", and further admonishes Lillian for being too gentle with him. During a fight that took place at a school basketball game between a member of the other team and Ben, Bull advises Ben to retaliate and fight back or not come home. On another occasion, while playing basketball against each other Bull begins taunting Ben after being defeated by him. He attempts to provoke Ben into being aggressive and fighting back, or crying like his "favorite little girl". Finally, the importance of being male is solidified when Mary Anne asks her father if girls can be Meechum.

It was during this same conversation that Mary Anne tested her father for a reaction or at the very least some attention, by claiming to be impregnated by a black, Pacifist, homosexual. Mary Anne was aware that her father had very strong feelings toward all of the characteristics that she just mentioned. When the Meechum's housekeeper happens to be black it becomes even more apparent that Bull and his family are racist. To further show this nonacceptance, Bull mentions asking Arabella to check for silverware in her purse.

Bull made many comments regarding prejudices toward race or culture in addition to the number he made in effort to belittle homosexuals, including calling his son a "little homo" for sleeping naked. Although some of these prejudices may have resulted from the Baptist religious background the family practiced faithfully, it is apparent that Bull is very un accepting of any viewpoints different from his own. He even questioned why God would put so many The Great Santini -5- different churches in the world at the same time. The entire Meechum family participated in prayer activity and said their Hail Mary's regularly, however it may be suggested that Bull overdid it when he demanded that his new military trainees refer to him as God.

Bull Meechum allowed his gender, religion, race and position in the military along with his power to define his life. This family can be easily understood by using Bowen Theory. Fusion is the most significant concept relating to both the theory and the movie. Throughout the movie it becomes more and more apparent that Bull wants his son to be just like him. Bull has planned out Ben's life for him, and assumes that Ben wants to follow in his footsteps as planned. This aspiration is so predominant that Ben actually begins to become exactly like his father.

Bull even says to Ben, "I wish you a wife like your mother, and a son as good as you " ve been" to further solidify the resemblance between their lives. There are several circumstances in the movie to represent this relationship between a father and a son. The most obvious example is represented by the chaos created by Ben's decision to defy his father's orders in attempt to save Toomer's life. Bull interprets this behavior as unacceptable and reprimands Ben for not following his order's to which Ben replies by ironically stating that he was only doing what his father would have done in the situation. In relation to the previous concept of fusion, another main idea of this theory corresponds to two life forces, being autonomy and togetherness. This is richly demonstrated in the Meechum family dynamics in that they are regarded mainly as descendents of their father and not as individuals comprising the family.

Bull has The Great Santini -6- decided Ben's future will be similar if not identical to his own. Ben will become a pilot in the military and will fight others for power and respect. When Ben defies his father, Bull makes a statement "not me... You... ". in effort to separate Ben's actions from his own, Ben responds by saying that he did what a Meechum would have done, ultimately supporting the togetherness of the family. Additionally, the "elephant in the living room", being Bull's physical and mental abusive tendencies are a family secret that continues to bond the family together. Furthermore, Bowen theorists would recognize the dichotomy of thinking and feeling represented by Bull.

There was an unbalanced relationship between the two, in that Bull relied only on thinking when around his family. It wasn't until he consumed alcohol that Bull was able to admit to feeling. This relationship is unhealthy because it is not balanced appropriately. Alcohol also plays a major part in the family dynamics in that it was a topic of familial repression; something nobody wanted to talk about. When Ben overheard his father talking to himself while drunk one night, it led to insight regarding Bull and his emotions. It is ironic that this is the situation in which Ben begins to understand his father and ultimately changes his feelings of hatred towards his father to love for him.

Additionally, the increased attention placed on Ben, being a male and the oldest child creates a triangle between Bull, Ben and Lillian. This is a very highly charged, dynamic triangle in which the other children are left out of, which leads to less differentiation. This is the most important triangle portrayed in the movie because it The Great Santini -7- deals with the way Lillian and Ben interact and the way Bull and Ben interact. Furthermore, Ben is put in the middle of his parents' relationship. After the physical fight between Lillian and Bull a lot changes in the Meechum house.

When Ben comes to his mother's aid and stands up to his father, they get into a physical confrontation only to be broken up, ironically by the other children in the house. This is surprising because up until this point they have had nothing to do with the relationships involved in the triangle; there was an outside party to help de triangulate, and Bull left the house. When Lillian finally convinced Ben to look for his father he overhears the feelings of Bull, and immediately begins to understand him. After listening to his father's emotions they are able to fuse emotional ties together. Once Ben is able to see into Bull's emotions it makes things a lot easier at home allowing everyone to see that their father is a person. However, once Bull dies it becomes apparent that the togetherness is still prevalent when Lillian tells the children that they are not allowed to cry or show emotion at their father's funeral.

A further representation of fusion also takes place when Ben and his family pack up and leave for their new home at three o'clock in the morning. It is obvious that although Bull has died, a part of him still lives in Ben.