Sometime it's Better Unseen

Doubt and Molly Sweeney  are both texts that revolve around characters that see things that nobody else can understand. In Doubt, Fr. Flynne see's Ronald Miller as a sad, helpless boy that needs care and guidance. By befriending him, Sister Aloysius see's a completely different relationship taking place. The movie drives viewers to see the relationship that they want to by not ever disclosing what really went on between Ronald and Fr. Flynne.

The main themes of the movie (doubt, intolerance, gossip, and sight) all seem to connect with each other throughout the film. Sister Aloysius first depends on others to believe her accusations, but ends up taking action herself when nobody else will see what she wants them to see. To everyone else at the school, like Sister James and the other students, Fr. Flynne is nothing more than a caring teacher to Ronald. Mrs. Miller, on the other hand, doesn't want to believe that anything is wrong with the relationship because she just wants Ronald to be happy and stay in school. The movie shows that one persons vision can create a massive impact. I believe that the movie reinforces the idea that people see what they want to see.

This still of Ronald looking down and lost is an example of what Fr. Flynne see's. Sister Aloysius looks at Ronald but doesn't see Ronald. Especially after she hears of his "strange" behaviors from Sister James, she takes it upon herself to save him. She's only looking out for herself because in her eyes, she's doing the right thing by extracting Fr. Flynne. Though in the end even she realizes that she let her own sight get in the way of the schools overall vision: a place where teachers guide and care for its students. However, Sister Aloysius' stance is understandable and even relatable. For example, a child could see or hear their parents fighting just one time and come up with a whole theory about divorce and thoughts of hatred. From that point on, all they can think about when they see their parents together is bitterness and rivalry, even if the parents are genuinely loving each other. All it takes is one instance to make an assumption that can snowball into a web of thoughts.

On the other side of sight is blindness; not being able to see anything at all. Molly, in a way, is a parallel to Sister Aloysius, because she feels superior for being able to see, or in this case not see, things that other people cannot. They both seem to take pride in the theories and visions they've come up with in their minds.

"Oh, I can't tell you the joy swimming gave me. I used to thing that the other people in the pool with me, the sighted people , that in some way their pleasure was actually diminished because they could see, because seeing in some way qualified the sensation; and that if they only knew how full, how total my pleasure was, I used to tell myself that they must, they really must envy me." (pg. 19)

Molly's thoughts here really show that sometimes, seeing isn't the best thing. Everyone's been in a situation where they see something that they wish they hadn't. Seeing leads to emotions, even if one doesn't realize it. By being blind, Molly must really feel something before she can analyze it and come to conclusions about how she "see's" it.

Social Class: A Choice

                 In Wes Anderson's Rushmore, we see two general social classes interacting with one another: rich and not rich. I don't want to say middle-class or upper or lower middle class because as a viewer, I can't identify which one Max or Rosemary or any other of the supporting characters belong to. Max is certainly part of the "not rich" category while Bill Murray's character, Herman, is rich. Anderson's choice to make the two main characters come from different economic classes was a good one because it made their relationship more valuable. When Rosemary is put in the middle of Herman and Max, it's not a war between social class but rather between age. I think this shows that factors like age and things like gender and physical appearance are more dividing than social class. When Herman asks Max about his dad's job, Max lies because he doesn't want his dads job as a barber to affect his social standing. Being on the lower end of the spectrum, Max is definitely more aware of his social standing than his classmates at Rushmore are. However, the students all wear the same uniform and attend the same school, so Max doesn't stand out. Ironically, when Max goes to public school, he's automatically richer seeming because of the way he dresses and how he presents himself. Max was born into his not rich lifestyle, but he doesn't allow that to hinder him in anyway.
           Social class can essentially be procured by an individual's physical presentation. If you put two, well groomed, intelligent sounding boys in blazers side by side, they would be classified the same. Max doesn't talk about money unless it's brought to his attention by someone else. I think that social class is only somewhat dependent on economic status. The rest is up to the individual. In the United States, an individual can make their dreams come true by working hard, which is what Max does throughout the movie. With scholarships, students like Max have the power to earn their education. Each individual decides for themselves how much effort and work their willing to put in in order to achieve the economic and social status that they want to be a part of. Class rank is not a definite thing, for it can be raised or lowered. Everyone starts off on a different rung on the social ladder and they can choose to climb up or down.
         I actually feel that Max's low economic status puts him in a higher social class - or it should anyway. If Max's financial background has him working harder, doing more, achieving more, shouldn't that make him better off in life than his classmates? Sure, they're already wealthy, but as a result of that they don't really have the drive that Max does to succeed. There are too many factors that go into someone's social class that it's hard to point them all out. For example, take the student body of New Trier. When it comes to economic status, we're all pretty much on the same page give or take, yet many would argue the social standings of their peers. Social class is just too bendable to be taken too seriously.