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Good Will Hunting Sociology

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Many individuals argue that Good Will Hunting is one of the most sociologically diverse movies out there. The amount of references that can be drawn back to concepts studied in sociology is incredible. Good Will hunting is about a 20-year-old, rambunctious male, Will, that tends to stick himself in positions that are not suitable for him. Wills tendency to get himself into trouble attributes to him ending up living on the south side of Boston as a janitor at MIT. His life suddenly takes a positive turn when will reveals his gift for others to see. A math professor posts a mathematical equation on a board outside of his room that had previously been unsolvable by a student in his class. That following day while will was cleaning the hallway …show more content…

Thus, meaning that what one culture or group of individuals might esteem praise worthy may be frowned upon by another culture or society. In the beginning of Good Will Hunting, Will gets into and altercation with a group of men on a basketball court. Will and his group of friends drive by the basketball court when they see another group of men cat calling a woman. When the woman passes without responding to the group of men, they throw a bottle at her and begin to call her profane names. When Will sees this, he steps out of the vehicle and punches the first man to step up to him. This causes a huge fight to lash out amongst Will, his friends, and this group of men. When the cops arrive to break up the altercation, the group of men flee and will was not able to get away in time, allowing him to be implicated for the crime. This can be seen as an act of deviance by many societies. In many cultures today, fighting is view as a wrong act and is frowned upon. They frown upon fighting due to the belief that there is always a better solution. While this is view as an act of deviance and fighting is not the answer or a solution to the problem, some might also view his heroism as an act of valor. Some might deem the act of standing up for someone that cannot defend themselves in a situation as noble and kind. Deviance is a tricky subject …show more content…

These being: family, schools, peer relationships, mass media, and work. Throughout the film, we see the growth of character in Will. He begins in the movie as the mishap trouble maker with a brilliant mind that’s being wasted because his inner demons are holding him hostage. Through the progression of his time in therapy, we can tell that will did not have the best home life. We discover that he was a victim of child abuse, both physical and mental. Because of this, he grows up believing that he is not worth much and will not amount to anything. Family is a big part of the way we grow up to perceive ourselves and present ourselves to others. Wills family did not show him that he was good enough so he believed he wasn’t and found solace in his school work. With the help of his peer relations and school, Will was “re-socialized” and succeeded beyond what he could have ever imagined. With the help of this therapist and time, Will resolved the resentment and attachment issues he has had since he was a child and begin to form new relationships while allowing others into his mind a bit more. This change in his life was all brought on by the professor teaching him. If he hadn’t intervened with the court and suggest that in place of jail time, Will could study under him and see a therapist, will would have never gotten better and advance much further in life. With the help of peer relations and school, will became a new and improved

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