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Analytical Essay On The Waterfront

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In the realist film, On The Waterfront, Elia Kazan offers the audience an exploration of what it means to value individual conscience in the pursuit of justice. Set across from New York City, Kazan's tense expose of organised corruption in the 1950's follows the protagonist, Terry Malloy, as he struggles to choose between his loyalties in a world filled with dishonesty and trepidation. Although it may seem that many of the characters are bound to silence by fear and corruption, Kazan implies that a strong moral presence can motivate others to help their community by exposing 'the facts' to 'the public'. Kazan suggests that poverty and corruption can lead people to live in fear of those in power, as well as how people may feel obliged to be loyal to those have helped them in the past. In addition to this, Kazan conveys that a strong moral voice can be enough to catalyse change in a community. Through the exploitation of the workers on the docks, Kazan highlights how power and corruption can drive people towards keeping silent about things they know are morally inacceptable. Set in Hoboken, the New York skyline constantly appears in the distance to represent the American dream. However, it is always masked by a layer of fog and separated from the workers by a tall, metal fence. Therefore, Kazan implies that, despite the idea that everyone should have an equal opportunity to prosper and live comfortably, the American dream is obscured and unreachable for the longshoremen working on the docks, with one worker even claiming: "I'm poorer now than when I started". Kazan further demonstrates this view through his portrayal of Johnny Friendly and the Mob, who prevent the workers from reaching this ideal. For example, when Father Barry first appears at the docks, one of Johnny Friendly's men is taunting the workers, questioning: "What's the matter? Nobody want to work today?" before leaving the workers frantically scrabbling for a token and the chance to get a day's work. This suggests that the longshoremen are like pigeons searching for their day's feed, powerless against the hawks watching from above who will be "right down on them" if they dare to speak out against them. As a consequence, Kazan implies that the

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