Movie Analysis Essay on 'Taxi Driver'

Introduction

The movie taxi driver is about Travis Bickle, a lonely middle-aged male living in New York City. Travis an x marine looks for a night taxi driver job because he has insomnia. Travis struggles with the situation of being lonely and complain about having nowhere to go. He decides to find a job to control his fate. But unfortunately, when Travis's expectations go sideways, he automatically shifts the blame to a belief in predetermination. Over some time now, the Americans dream has proved the idea that different factors define their own lives and experiences. Not determined by religion or lineage but by collective values. These values, as in the case of Travis Bickle, are rooted in the concept of individualism or self-reliance where people can fulfill their own goals through determination and hard work, leading to a better life. The American dream is, therefore, better termed as the belief that anyone in the society can attain their type of success irrespective of their birthplace or class (Norman, 56)

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Halfway in the movie, Travis has given up in his quest and at this time, strongly believes he lacks control of things he engages in. He believes that it is his destiny to kill Palatine and himself but fails to do this, which highlights that the theory that Travis had about people being driven to a particular future is a liar. Travis now tests this theory by now creating his fate by eliminating the Iris protectors. The truthfulness of what is defined as the American dream can be linked to the declaration of independence in the year 1976 which emphasized that everybody was entitled to a good life, liberty, and a search for happiness which additionally ends with people achieving their desires through hard work and perseverance(Bancroft, 198). The American dream promises freedom and equality among everybody. It also gives anyone the right to make any decision that affects one life; however, big or small, they might be.

It was devastating to Travis Bickle type who, for various personal reasons, sought violence to pass a specific type of massage. Although this film has described by many people as the story of a psychopath, it an intense movie that portrays what can happen when some in the busy community like in this case, new york city, when some people become incredibly lonely. The film actively examines the influences of class, the field of work, and demographics in portrays the concept of the American dream. Within a dominant tale, mobility is considered low and high when the cautionary tale persists. In the film, Travis Bickle becomes extremely worried when his attempts to fit in this busy street fail.

The American dream is aided by several factors that are advantageous to the United States over some other nations. However, it is worth noting that the inevitable income inequality that has been increasing since the year the 1970s has made it less possible for those people who are not affluent. According to a statement by the U.S. census family, income keeps growing more for the top income group than to other segments of the American community (Wallmann, 208). This made Travis fell ignored by the other people in the city.

Based on the principles of the American dream, an individual can enjoy life to the fullest as he or she defines it. The current position of any of us, regardless of who we are, can be changed with the correct combination of determination and work and perseverance portrayed in the film the driver.

Work Cited

Bancroft, George. History of the United States: From the Discovery of the American Continent to the Declaration of Independence. London [etc.: Routledge, 1860. Print.

Mailer, Norman. An American Dream. , 2018. Print.

Wallmann, Jeffrey M. The Western: Parables of the American Dream. Lubbock, Tex: Texas Tech University Press, 1999. Internet resource.