Belonging

“Even though we all need to belong, we still have important choices to make about belonging” “The first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: Decide what you want”, as humans we behave in a manner that will gain us acceptance into any place or group in our world because belonging is a fundamental desire of the human condition. This behaviour can be viewed as conformity it stops us from living our own life. Conformity ties us down and holds us back so we cannot experience life to its full extent; in fact it drags us down and does not allow us to experience the true happiness, freedom and fulfilment which we call life. As a result, we must learn to perceive, understand and make our own choices about belonging. “Redemption” directed by Vondie Curtis-Hall and “Romulus, My Father” written by Raimond Gaita are two texts that explore the consequences of conformity and helps us as the responder to understand this concept. Our human desire to gain acceptance leads us to behave in accordance with the ideals of others. When we do this we do not realize that these ideals are not always the right thing to do, either ethically or legally. Tookie’s behavior has him viewed by his community as “their superhero” and “their legend”. As his community claims possession of him, his human desire to belong is nourished. However his acceptance to his peers is founded by “murder, violence and bloodshed”. This acceptance can blind ourselves from understanding the nature of our actions and we continue to blindly act. Curtis-Hall focuses on Tookie’s face, covered with grief and darkness and constricted by the thick iron jail bars. This crystallizes how the bonds of conformity eradicate our freedom and simultaneously our true happiness and lead us to “the gates of hell”. Similarly, in “Romulus, My Father”, Gaita depicts to us how conformity can pave a path toward our self destruction. Going out of our way to behave in a manner that will solely satisfy the expectations or desires of others takes away the meaning of our lives. Pleasing others does not allow us to satisfy our own need and the acceptance gained from this is only an illusion of acceptance. This illusion of acceptance makes us continue our behavior without realizing our deteriorating condition. In this case Mitru’s condition becomes so bad he is pushed to suicide and he “stabbed himself in the heart” because his “situation became desperate”. Gaita incorporates a motif that exemplifies darkness. The “dark face” and “black scarf” highlights the grief faced by Mitru. When we break away from the constricting holds of conformity we will only then be able to truly experience freedom. When Tookie decides to “change his ways” he realizes he has found his freedom. The sweeping shot across the perimeter of the prison shows us the thick confining concrete walls of the prison contrasted against the endless expanse of the ocean and the clear blue sky. This symbolism of Tookie’s “newfound freedom” and happiness shows the responder how the bonds of conformity no longer confine Tookie as he is “set free”. Conformity takes away the meaning from our lives and therefore it takes away our ability to gain or feel fulfilment. When we are no longer guided by others we gain the ability to feel the true experience of life. In Tookie’s case he is able to reduce the amount of gang violence and in some places, eliminate it. As the world begins to appreciate and understand Tookie’s actions they commend his efforts and even nominate him for two Nobel prizes. “The smile on those kids’ faces” is enough to nourish Tookie’s need for happiness and as a result he feels that he has accomplished something in his life and therefore feels fulfilled. Curtis-Hall suggests this by closing in on the jovial smile on Tookie’s now bright face that had not been present in prior stages of the film. Even though as humans we possess the instinctive desire to belong in some way, we must realize that sometimes it is better to be free. When we let the bonds of conformity tie us down and hold us back we lose the ability to experience life. When we realize this, we are no longer affected by these bonds and are able to break free and can therefore experience life. Vondie Curtis-Hall explores this idea in “Redemption” and as the responder we are able to understand this.