Our past often leaves a powerful impact on our future as well as our present. Dave was emotionally scarred from past events in his life. He experienced a life changing event when he was younger but it affected him all the way into his later adulthood. Dave was an innocent child who didn't know how to deal with the situation he got caught up in at the time. Dave can claim the most innocence from the movie. He kills a child-molester out of revenge for the emotional distress he had endured all his life. Of course he didn't mean to kill a person, but his innocence shows through this rash decision which was triggered by his past incident.
Dave can claim innocence especially due to the fact that he did not kill Katie. Jimmy acts out of emotion and desire for revenge when he kills Dave. Dave again shows his innocence when he "admits" to killing Katie, thinking maybe Jimmy wouldn't have killed him. I think that Jimmy can later be deserving of genuine forgiveness because he killed Dave out of anger and didn't know that Dave was innocent. He was just in so much distress. He had promised Katie he would find her killer, and he was so determined that the first clue he got, he ran with. He forced Dave to admit he killed Katie, which gave him some sort of closure at the time. I feel that Jimmy looked like a bad person for killing Dave, but he was so affected by his daughter's death that he wasn't able to think clearly.
Dave is definitely the sole protagonist in the movie, remaining completely innocent amongst the excessive amount of incriminating accusations. His actions and beliefs are driven by his emotions, ultimately leading to his demise. This is a common theme in the story, applying also to Jimmy and Dave's wife, Celeste. As you said, the distress Jimmy endures from Katie's death drives him completely mad. Celeste, an emotional wreck the entire movie, also possesses this character trait. She is blinded by her grief and suspicions, which eventually jeopardizes Dave's safety.
ReplyDeleteJimmy is also a character who loses his innocence in the film. Sergeant Whitey Powers explains to Sean how Jimmy has tension in his shoulders. The tension comes from going to prison, and it is never lost. Jimmy's corruption can be seen on him physically.
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