GWSS Spring 2008 Section B

Dear Jimmy,
I’m sorry I left without saying goodbye. The diner and Arkansas made me feel trapped, alone and unhappy, so I needed to escape to the open road, to think and feel free. More importantly, I needed to do something out of the ordinary, something different from my daily routine. The road has been a freeing and uplifting experience through life, death and rebirth. I never thought that the crisp, clean air of the dessert would make me feel so alive and free. The open road makes me forget about the past and what I have done. I forgot about my purpose on the road through the incident at the truck stop, but it also forced me to find myself and realize what it important and why I am on the road with Thelma. The two of us are having a great time getting wrapped up in our newly found freedom, but I have to ask myself if this is what we should be doing. Should two women run off, alone, to find something they don’t even know exists?
Love, Louise

Posted by tennischica at 09:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Dear Jimmy,
I’m sorry I left without saying goodbye. The diner and Arkansas made me feel trapped, alone and unhappy, so I needed to escape to the open road, to think and feel free. More importantly, I needed to do something out of the ordinary, something different from my daily routine. The road has been a freeing and uplifting experience through life, death and rebirth. I never thought that the crisp, clean air of the dessert would make me feel so alive and free. The open road makes me forget about the past and what I have done. I forgot about my purpose on the road through the incident at the truck stop, but it also forced me to find myself and realize what it important and why I am on the road with Thelma. The two of us are having a great time getting wrapped up in our newly found freedom, but I have to ask myself if this is what we should be doing. Should two women run off, alone, to find something they don’t even know exists?
Love, Louise

Posted by tennischica at 09:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Alvin Straight finds himself on this journey to visit his brother. As a man of his age one would think that he already knows who he is, and most people are set in their ways by the time they reach old age. Alvin on the other hand found out many things about himself. Simply the fact that he HAD to drive all the way there on his own, which meant it had to be on a lawn-mower was a great show of pride. But also it seemed as if maybe he never dealt with a lot of the pain in his life. During the encounter with the young girl we got to know a lot of his background about his family and their rural lifestyle. Then what was most suprising for me was that he shared his stories from the war with the other older man in the bar. He clearly is bothered by these memories every day of his life and it seemed as if he almost maybe got a sense of closure, or accepted what had happened for the first time. Alvin Straight definitely found himself on this journey.

Posted by Holly Golightly at 11:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Alvin Straight finds himself on this journey to visit his brother. As a man of his age one would think that he already knows who he is, and most people are set in their ways by the time they reach old age. Alvin on the other hand found out many things about himself. Simply the fact that he HAD to drive all the way there on his own, which meant it had to be on a lawn-mower was a great show of pride. But also it seemed as if maybe he never dealt with a lot of the pain in his life. During the encounter with the young girl we got to know a lot of his background about his family and their rural lifestyle. Then what was most suprising for me was that he shared his stories from the war with the other older man in the bar. He clearly is bothered by these memories every day of his life and it seemed as if he almost maybe got a sense of closure, or accepted what had happened for the first time. Alvin Straight definitely found himself on this journey.

Posted by Holly Golightly at 11:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The rural road operates as a space for realization, revelation and actualization because it is the road that started everything, it is the origin of the road, the closest thing to the beginning of time, the start of the people, a place of simplicity, a place to think, and a place of originality. All of these things the road represents allows one to take part in realixation, revelation and actualization due to the simple, quiet and original place that allows people to think and focus on them and their beautiful surroundings created by Mother Earth. The landcape in Straight Story affects the story because Alvin's journey on the rural road allows Alvin to realize how he has been stubborn with his brother. The rural road also allows Alvin to have a revelation when it comes to the importance of his family and how you should tell your family that you appreciate and love them everyday. Alvins journey on the rural road not only allows his to realize, revelate and actualize his situation, but it allows him to "become". "Become a new person, a more positive person, a more loving person. The rural road is responsible for all of this. A new beginning rather than an escape.

Posted by tennischica at 04:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The road Alvin Straight travels is a slow-moving rural road, not noticeably affected by urban life. While many of the folks he meets along the road stop and stare at first, they are hospitable and never hostile. If this were an urban road, people would be hesitant to welcome him and would instead see him as an oddity. Alvin is determined to remain self-sufficient during his travels, as if this journey is one reminding him of his independence. All those that meet him learn from him, from the pregnant teenager who returns to her family to his brother who realizes the significance of Alvin's visit when he sees he drove all the way on a lawnmower. The country road Straight rides down is comfortable and safe without fear of others, while sometimes dangerous in that he is aging and increasingly feeble. When Straight finally arrives at his reunion with his brother, his trial with himself is complete and we know that he can return home an accomplished and wizened man.

Posted by Pumpkin at 08:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The road Alvin Straight travels is a slow-moving rural road, not noticeably affected by urban life. While many of the folks he meets along the road stop and stare at first, they are hospitable and never hostile. If this were an urban road, people would be hesitant to welcome him and would instead see him as an oddity. Alvin is determined to remain self-sufficient during his travels, as if this journey is one reminding him of his independence. All those that meet him learn from him, from the pregnant teenager who returns to her family to his brother who realizes the significance of Alvin's visit when he sees he drove all the way on a lawnmower. The country road Straight rides down is comfortable and safe without fear of others, while sometimes dangerous in that he is aging and increasingly feeble. When Straight finally arrives at his reunion with his brother, his trial with himself is complete and we know that he can return home an accomplished and wizened man.

Posted by Pumpkin at 08:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

During his journey Straight thrives for and enjoys the simplicity of life, he is simply on a journey to become in touch with himself, to reconnect with the road. The road to him is familiarity he is not in search of becoming or finding himself but to be reunited with an old comfort of his. The rural road represent comfort for him. With age starting to creap up on him, his physical state starting to slowly deteriorate and his brother being ill he simply wants to once again connect himself with a road that once represented youth. When he stops off of the road in a town and talks with two young men he mentions to them the importance of youth and to be able to appreciate what they have. He uses the road to be one with himself but allows himself to engage with others along the way and express emotion unlike the lead female road in Vagabond who used the road in an attempt to escape past, focusing on not having emotional attachment to those that she comes into contact with.

His becoming represented once again becoming himself a man who spent time traveling and being rebellious and adventurous during his youth. When he tractor breaks go out and he is forced to spend the night at a couple's house they insist to help him reach his destination although he refuses. In order to once again be reconnected with his inner self, his youth he must complete the journey alone with as little help as possible. He knows that he still has strength of mind and heart and that will allow him to complete his journey in reaching his brother.

Posted by Megatron at 04:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Seeing as Alvin never leaves the rural area, this gives him a wider space to grow. It seems that within the limitations of the city, one can only change their mindset and paths so much, whereas on the open road, the body and soul can expand virtually indefinitely. To me, the rural setting would pave the way for a much deeper growth and reflection than city streets. We see this in Alvin, who learns more about himself in meeting other people, than he ever expected. He learns that he has struggled and striven but can prevail each and every time. This is more acceptable in a rural setting and easier than on city streets.

Posted by Alexandra Goldman at 02:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Seeing as Alvin never leaves the rural area, this gives him a wider space to grow. It seems that within the limitations of the city, one can only change their mindset and paths so much, whereas on the open road, the body and soul can expand virtually indefinitely. To me, the rural setting would pave the way for a much deeper growth and reflection than city streets. We see this in Alvin, who learns more about himself in meeting other people, than he ever expected. He learns that he has struggled and striven but can prevail each and every time. This is more acceptable in a rural setting and easier than on city streets.

Posted by Alexandra Goldman at 02:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Seeing as Alvin never leaves the rural area, this gives him a wider space to grow. It seems that within the limitations of the city, one can only change their mindset and paths so much, whereas on the open road, the body and soul can expand virtually indefinitely. To me, the rural setting would pave the way for a much deeper growth and reflection than city streets. We see this in Alvin, who learns more about himself in meeting other people, than he ever expected. He learns that he has struggled and striven but can prevail each and every time. This is more acceptable in a rural setting and easier than on city streets.

Posted by Alexandra Goldman at 02:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Seeing as Alvin never leaves the rural area, this gives him a wider space to grow. It seems that within the limitations of the city, one can only change their mindset and paths so much, whereas on the open road, the body and soul can expand virtually indefinitely. To me, the rural setting would pave the way for a much deeper growth and reflection than city streets. We see this in Alvin, who learns more about himself in meeting other people, than he ever expected. He learns that he has struggled and striven but can prevail each and every time. This is more acceptable in a rural setting and easier than on city streets.

Posted by Alexandra Goldman at 02:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In this film, Alvin Straight is not out on the road to find himself or lose his past, but to find out exactly who he is and what this world has to offer for him. He is not leaving behind his daughter because of her handicap or his friends because they might be too nosy, he is leaving because he has issues in the past that he feels he needs to address. Not only does he leave to see his brother and make amends, but to enjoy the silence of the rural road and think about his life. Issues that come up when on the road are mainly war-related for him as he fought in WW2 and has distinct memories of terrible times. These times shaped him in the film and gave him the personality that got him out of at least fifty bucks for lawnmower repair.
Because this road is in the country and not on a freeway in the middle of the desert, it creates more of a sense of home. It makes Alvin feel like he is never truly leaving home, but just going to a different area of it. It is less chaotic and intense and allows his mind to flow freely and think about his past and what he's doing with his life while not having to worry about cars hitting him at mad speeds. Not only that, but because he takes his time on the mower, it gives him even more time and he basically is strolling his way to his brother. Different atmosphere's create different feelings that can allow for different thoughts, and this is the case for Alvin. His life has a couple loose ends and by going on this trip, not only did he tie them up, but he discovered why he is the way he is and realized more about himself; a perfect way to close up a long life. I'm not saying he's dying or dead, I'm just saying he's old and most likely near the end of his life.

Posted by ZoraMonkey at 12:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

What makes this film so much different from is others is the fact that Alvin did not leave his home in order to find a part of himself. He had no goal other than reaching his brother. I think that this made him much more susceptible to change and growth because he wasn't expecting it. He was open to anything. He lived a very humble life and was not oppressed in any way. There was no power figure looming over him and threatening to take anything away from him. The people who he encountered sparked emotions and memories from him that he hadn't expected to comfort, but he seemed ready to. This mostly happened around a campfire. What was similar to the other films is that the main characters are in nature when many periods of actualization and growth occur. He never felt threatened or afraid.

Posted by releasethekraken at 12:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

https://www1.webvista.umn.edu/webt/cobaltMainFrame.dowebct

Posted by muen0036 at 12:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In the film Straight Story Alvin Straight is moving towards something that he's been avoiding, rather than running away from something. With this fact, paired with the idea that his journey takes place in rural America, Alvin is able to become something and transcend certain ideals he had before his journey. Alvin is going to visit his brother who has just suffered a stroke, he hasn't spoken to his brother in over 10 years but feels the responsibility to mend things from their pasts. Alvin is unable to drive a car because he has no license so he develops a plan, to drive across the Midwest on his lawn mower. Alvin hits a few bumps in the road, has a few problems along the way, but through those problems he is able to meet individuals who help him 'become' what he needs to be when he sees his brother.

Unlike the other films that we have seen in this class, Straight Story is more a journey of going somewhere with the intention to return back to where they started, Alvin was going to mend something with his brother, and then return to his home. He wasn't looking to conquer anything huge, but to mend something, and through his journey he was able to slowly develop more a sense of self and ultimately he was able to reconnect with his brother.

Posted by cici at 11:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Alvin Straight is not trying to leave behind his family, friends, or town. He decided to embark on a journey to rediscover his relationship with his brother. By taking a journey through Midwestern states, he encounters many people that contribute to his realization of mistakes and hardships that he has suffered throughout his life. When Alvin meets the young woman who is running away from home, his advice to her is actually a memory that serves to help both the young woman and Alvin to realize the importance of family and causes both characters to reflect on their family situations. Alvin, through his interactions with others, begins a self-reflection that becomes the mobilizing force behind his journey. As he realizes the lessons from his life by sharing his experiences with others, Alvin becomes connected to his past and prepared to become the man that could have resulted from his experiences. The rural road is an essential part of Alvin's journey, because he is not leaving his element, or habitat. Alvin is reflecting on his life in a rural area, not attempting to change his life and travel to an urban area. Only through the land that he grew up and learned lessons in could he continue to reflect on those lessons and become the person that his life had prepared him to be.

Posted by Miss Blog at 11:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The representation of the rural in Straight Story functions as a space for Straight to be honest and encounter honesty. Rural America, particularly the Midwest, is seen (and is, to an extent) as a place where people live without the burden of urban problems like serious crime and poverty. While people may be poor, the rural as it is represented in films is a more calm and stable sense of lower and working class economic status. So, in Straight Story, the rural road is place for Straight to confront losses in his life that go beyond the economic. His income level serves the narrative to create a certain type of road trip – one where he lives simply and thrives off of his kindness and the kindness of others – very Midwestern. He embarks on his drive to seek honesty and reconciliation with his brother, and along the way encounters honesty and reconciliation with his past. Through the sense of community present in the areas that he’s traveling (everyone knows the land and probably has a relative somewhere he’s going or has been), he creates bonds with people based on universal commonalities. Kinship takes on a more complex meaning in Straight story, as Straight meets and connects with people who don’t appear to have much in common with him except living in the rural Midwest. Specifically in the cases of the young woman at the beginning and the older man in the last town, Straight’s connections are based on his ability to see below to surface to what they can share and how they’re experiences are parallel. He brings all of these people along on his journey, asking each of them to explore the option of honesty with him and with their families. And his age and mode of transportation instill trust in the people he meets, allowing them to stop and engage with him while they might pass or avoid others.

Posted by Jenny at 10:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

(no category for The Straight Story)

For Alvin Straight, the long road from western Iowa to Wisconsin was, like in all road movies, an exercise in personal growth and understanding. But, a major difference between this road story and the others in the genre, is that our protagonist, Alvin, is near the end of his life and because of this, he has the ability to put things in perspective in a way that all the other travelers we have encountered could not do.

Alvin had a very full life -- grew up working hard on a farm, fought in WWII, developed a drinking problem, married with a large family (half of whom didn't make it), learned patience and compassion in raising his developmentally delayed daughter (who had her children removed by the state unjustly because of someone else's mistake), etc. He had many experiences that could have (and probably would have) made most men quite bitter (and maybe he was in his younger days), but whatever bitterness that may have existed was quite tempered by the time we are introduced to Alvin. Because he has lived so long and seen so much, Alvin developed the ability to put things in their proper perspective and to let go -- the hardships are not what is important in life, but the connections that we make with other people, and one's family is the most important connection of all.

It is this philosophy that spurs Alvin on the road -- since family is the most important thing, he must travel (on his own terms) to repair the relationship with his estranged brother (with whom he was so close growing up). He takes to the open roads of Iowa. Along the way, Alvin meets many different characters to whom he listens empathetically and usually imparts a little bit of his wisdom. People seem to not be afraid to approach Alvin -- he's a kind, eccentric old man on a lawn mower who walks with two canes -- how dangerous could this man be? And after talking to Alvin, the lives of those he has touched are changed forever.

As he listens to their stories, Alvin is reminded of his own experiences and how far he has come (and has yet to go) in his own journey. Thus, by listening and sharing his family-centric philosophy, Alvin is finding commonality in possessing similar regrets, and shedding his guilt for his past mistakes by imparting a little bit of his wisdom, and both parties grow as a result. Thus, this tale is not just about his journey, but about how he is touched by and how he touches other people's lives. And that is what separates this tale from all others we have seen (in this class, at least), is how Alvin's twilight philosophical perspective on the road positively changes both Alvin and those around him.

Posted by Sweeper887 at 10:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Straight’s journey is different from other journeys (Easy Rider, Vagabond) because he is not leaving/running away from anything or anyone. Alvin is actually going towards something that he has been avoiding for years. Early in his journey he admits that he is really trying to suppress his pride. He has been avoiding his brother for years after having an unforgettable exchange of words last time they saw each other. Alvin is facing his brother, therefore he is not leaving something behind. Alvin confesses to an elderly man about his age at a bar regarding his drinking problem years back during the war. He said that he use to abuse alcohol and that he use to be really mean. He told the pregnant teenager that family relationships could not be easily broken (one branch can be easily broken but not when you have a bundle). Realizing the person that he use to be and how much he has changed and wants to change fueled his motivation to find his brother. Lessons that he taught others, he was also teaching himself. Other films seen in class were more about leaving the bad behind and finding something new, a place to start over (Thelma and Louise), or teaching others to avoid the dark past that one has experienced (Searching for Angela Shelton). Alvin Straight got a lot more than he was expecting, but that opened him up to all the kindness (or forgiveness) there was out there.

Posted by Lulu at 10:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In "The Straight Story" the road acts as a space for realization, revelation, and actualization in many ways that we have not seen before. The first and most obvious difference is how slow the movie moves. The movie is very long and slow moving with few fasted paced scenes. The fact that Alvin is riding a lawn mower emphasizes this concept of "slow motion". In many of the other road films, we have seen loud, busy, and speeding vehicles racing to reach their location. Alvin on his riding lawn mower doesn't have the option to go fast, except on the down hill with the use of the natural terrain. Another difference is that Alvin is exposed to the air, atmosphere, and the world around him. Unlike the other films he is not surrounded by safety of his car, van, or bus. The weather becomes the enemy it is the only thing that seems t be against him for the bulk of the film. Alvin is a minor detail in the rural terrain of the county. He is on his small, slow moving vehicle being passed by huge open fields, large semis, a large group of bikers, and the long endless road. Along the way Alvin is greeted by people who are willing to help, they are comforting and eager to help Alvin in any way that he wants. He connects with the people that he meets along the way and forms decent relationships, each showing him new things about himself. Alvin doesn't let the small stuff bring him down, he continues on hsi journey even when things are tough.

Posted by littlegreenapples at 10:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It was clear in the beginning that the rural area operates as a space for actualization, realization, and revelation, in other ways that we have not seen in the other road films during the course. The Straight Story is very different from other road films in this course. In most of these films we see a struggle of money somewhere in the plot. It was filled with many scenes with different people Alvin helps out, and the people that help him, but the difference is that this story line was not packed with fast happening drama. It was not as fast happening scenes like in Easy Rider, Thelma & Louise, or Set it Off. Instead, it showed a different slower side in developing the plot.
Alvin goes on the road for 6 weeks on his lawn mower, with that he has revelations while other characters in the film he helps out also reveals to the audiences not take life for granted because there are others that may be having greater difficulty in the rural life. While in the film, Thelma & Louise, it showed that these women left their homes with the help of each other through their trip only and just living life. Alvin, realizing on his brother's shock of his stroke makes him understand clearly to make things better with his brother, Lyle. As for, Set it Off, the characters in this urban community seems to not have an understanding in the end and end up making the wrong decision when they choose to rob one more bank. The actualization of this film was that Alvin showed the characteristics of the rural community going from Iowa's rural area to Wisconsin's rural area, as most of the other films in this class did not show this community.

Posted by tranx246 at 10:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Alvin Straight's journey is very similar yet very different from most road trips. He took to the road with a purpose, as many people do. The purpose being that his brother was in very poor health, and his was deteriorating. In order to find peace in his last times on Earth, it was most important for him to embark on this rural journey, just him and his lawnmower. He is determined to travel alone from the beginning, which is symbolic to his desire for inner peace in relations to his brother and finding peace in the world around him. The rural roads allow him to be truly alone for the majority of the trip. This trip is also one of the longer trips that we witness, due to the speed capacity on the lawnmower and the distance he is traveling. He is a brave old man who needed to reconcile his past and he did so once he sat on his brother's porch with him.

Posted by believer. at 10:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The rural space in The Straight Story offers some revelation and self realization in similar ways to Thelma and Louise. The open rural area isn't confined. It isn't oppressive, constrained, or privy to societal terms. In the rural space, it is just Alvin, his thoughts, and his companions. In Set it Off, we see the women succumbing to the urban landscape. It has an oppressive feel, and doesn't allow for any means of escape. Except the person who DOES escape, makes it to rural Mexico. In Woman On a Motorcycle and Easy Rider, we see the rural space as a place for thought. Alvin definitely has plenty of time for thought, but unlike WOAM, these thoughts don't seem to be counter productive. Alvin's journal is the most positive, revealing, and cathartic of the road films, except possibly for Little Miss Sunshine, which doesn't always stay in the realm of the rural. Alvin is allowed to grieve, change, and forgive himself.

Posted by tris0020 at 10:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In many of the films that we have seen the main characters were traveling between an urban and a rural environment. In this film, however, we see something entirely different. This man, already in a rural environment, stays in a rural environment and is given a chance to explore himself within the context of his own life. In films that have an urban/rural adventure there is a creation of a new self, leaving behind of the urban self and a discoverance of a more truthful and spiritually connected self. This rural to rural travel is very different because instead of a new self, Alvin spends his time in examination of self. He looks at the stars at night and recalls his brother, he recalls the war with another veteran and he even talks of family to a young runaway. Through these events his self is revealed to him, not replacing his old self but merely revealing to him that which he once knew but had forgotten. It is through this rural road that he is able to accomplish the inward travel necessary for him to become a more full version of Alvin Straight.

Posted by ninjasecret at 10:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I think Alvin's journey is similar to other films we have viewed in the sense that it is a road movie about self-realization, and how Alvin embarks on this journey to find peace and closure within himself and his relationship with his brother. Alvin decides to hit the road after he begins to realize that his health is detereorating, as his brother's probably is as well, and he needs to resolve things between them before it's too late. His journey is more about self-resolution than self-discovery. Through his rural journey, he never really leaves the peacefulness of the country, although he does encounter other familiarities of city life, like the "Bambicide" he witnesses, or the controlled burning of an abandoned house. He remains focused and determined to finish his journey alone, despite the pleas of people from his daughterto the people he meets along the way. He knows that this journey is for himself and himself alone, and that is how he must continue and subsequently finish the trip. However, I think that as much as the road shapes Alvin, he also enhances the lives of those he meets. From the runaway that he convinces to go home, to the twin brothers with whom he talks about brotherhood, Alvin helps others discover things about themselves as he encounters them on his journey. Alvin helps the road as much as the road helped him.

Posted by KoreanPrincss at 09:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Unlike the other roads we have encountered in other films, the road that Straight travels is a constant and unchanging one. Remaining in a rural space on the road causes the personal journey to be driven by those he meets, not by a dramatic change in landscape. Hailing from a rural community myself, I have to say that this was quite boring for me. I even caught them reusing shots in different montages. There was literally No change in the environment. This allowed the characters and Straight himself to be the drive to his self change. This is similar to other movies we watched, but the environment had a larger impact. Vagabond, for example, is about a woman who travels and is changed by the people and types of scenery she encounters. In Easy Rider, two men are running from a specific landscape to another, so the environment drives their action. Straight in A Straight Story is on a self driven journey.

Posted by Courtney at 08:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I think that the road in Straight's story is different because of the people he meets. Also it is a rural road and this is different in terms of the roads we have seen in other movies. Alvin is country-folk and he is traveling on a road through other small towns in the midwest. This is unlike other movies that we have seen because in many cases the characters are city-folk traveling through rural country. So essentially what we are seeing in Straight's Story is the same type of people meeting on the road. Everyone that he meets on the road understands his way of life and he understands them. Also as he is traveling he ends up meeting people who are curious about where he is going and why. We start to find out a little bit of the background about Alvin and the places he has been in life. He's able to use his life experiences to explain things to other people. He has this quality about him that makes the people he meets drawn to him and they genuinely like him. In the other road movies that we have seen, the characters are usually likeable enough but they always seem to have qualities that turn people off as well. Alvin really doesn't have that quality about him and I think the reason for this is because the people he meets can relate to the things that he's been through because they are all from the same background.

Posted by Irelandfanatic at 08:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

From the relaxing strumming of a fiddle to the slow moving imagery of the midwest, it is easy to notice how the film Straight Story is a road film much different from any other road film we have watched in class before. The rural scene which is never left, like in most road films, provides the context for Alvin to experience his revelation of how important family means to him. Alvin leaves on his journey with a goal and knowing exactly how it must be done. He is not running away from someone or something, he is not unsatisfied with his life, he does not experience people who are unexcepting of him on the road. In fact, it is the exact opposite, Alvin receives a great amount of respect from the people he meets on the road. Everyone sees Alvin for exactly who he is, a man set out to complete a journey his own way on his own terms. I think the rural road allows for this realization, revelation, and actualization because it allows room for all to travel on the road regardless of socioecnonmic status but dependent on skill. There is also nothing rushing a traveler on the rural road, each individual can take however much time they need to complete the journey their way. With the freedom from judgement that comes with the rural road a person can find themselves on the road and not just a geographical location, they can find where they belong on the road of life and who they really are.

Posted by Gertrude at 08:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

As Alvin Straight drives his lawn tractor across Iowa's rural roads, the rural road becomes a place where he and those around him reexamine themselves and achieve things they perhaps had not thought to do before. Alvin himself embarks on the trip after turning down offers of help and suggestions of ways to make his journey easier, saying that he has to make the trip his way (his way being by driving a vehicle not made for that type of long-distance journey and sleeping in a trailer made of an armoire). As he interacts with others on the road, his journey opens the door for him to impart wisdom and share memories--by leaving his comfort zone for the open road, Alvin likewise leaves some of his inhibitions; he talks about his family to the young pregnant runaway (who then realizes she should return to her family), his painful war memories with another veteran, and so on. He leaves his home as a stubborn old man who hasn't spoken to his brother in a decade and arrives at his brother's house as a man who wants nothing more than to repair his relationship with his brother (and when Alvin thinks Lyle may not be home, he looks almost defeated--the whole journey prepared him for the moment of reunion, and he may be denied that at the very end of the road).

Posted by ristee at 08:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In Straight Story, Alvin Straight travels on a rural road. This provides a unique type of road that leads to a new understanding of his own identity. I think that one of the main differences in this road from most of the other roads we’ve seen is that it is quiet and empty. The film showed a solitary character making this quiet, yet significant journey and I think that this emphasized the importance of self-reflection. Alvin was able to think about his life and put things in order on his own. It seems that it represents the ability to find one’s self independently, without the influence of other people, which could be seen as the ultimate understanding of your identity. The quietness, the solitude and the slow pace of traveling on a lawnmower all emphasize the independence of the main character. The film seems to tell us that the noise and the hustle and bustle of city-life can cloud our views of ourselves, and we lose our identity when we are surrounded by so much activity and people. When you take that away, you are left with all that you are, whether that is good or bad.

Posted by Beyonce at 08:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

so during a "seriously? Lynch directed this?" moment i went to wikipedia and found out it's based on a true story. not that that's relevant at all, but i thought it was neat. well. it's kind of relevant in that it wasnt a creative decision for the writer to make it a narrative in which our protagonist technically leaves nothing behind, it was just factual. but for the purposes of the class I can ignore that.
anyway. I guess you could say that by staying within the area instead of escaping it, he roams his own inner workings, whereas in our other films the protagonists journey away and gain from their experience with others. If we were experiencing this movie from the prospective from say, the pregnant teenager in the film, I think it would fit right in with the other films we've watched. when Alvin speaks to the other characters, I dont think he's realizing all these things, I think he's coming to terms with the things he already knows. He has nothing to prove, nothing to run away from, and he's just chock full of that old man wisdom. So while he's dishing it out he reflects on it in the context of his present situation and learns from himself.

Posted by Bob Dole at 01:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

From the initial sequence, Straight Story makes it clear that the film will focus on the “small” or rural by moving from a shot of the cosmic sky that slowly transfers to Straight’s home through a series of images. As Straight takes the road, some shots reminiscent of Easy Rider emerge, yet we are quickly aware that we are viewing a very different landscape and journey. The pace is slow and the music is the film’s country violin theme, giving the scene a simplistic, introspective nature. The fact that it is harvest time in Iowa is representative of Straight’s “new beginning” with his brother and the dying out of the old relationship. When Straight encounters the pregnant teen at his campsite, his Midwestern values and past mistakes become evident, as they are both reminded of the importance of family through Straight’s stories and the necessity for his journey. He is on his way to see his ill brother and fix a mistake of youth, something that resonates with the teen. It is in situations like these, when Straight stops, that we are made aware of the self-reflection that seems to be taking place during the lengthy driving sequences. The slow pace of the entire film allows for a more reflective feel then if the film was set in a place such as Los Angeles, like Set It Off. Instead of “gaining energy” from the places he visits, like Philbert in Powwow Highway, it seems Straight is purging himself of guilt while reflecting on his life. Through interactions with others and sharing his own experiences, Straight is able to accept who he is and the mistakes he has made (mainly the fight with his brother and the killing in WWII). By admitting these flaws and mistakes and moving forward on his on his journey, one can assume Straight’s death after achieving his goal, judging by the final shot of the night sky. The ability to campout and the means of travel – a lawn mower could seemingly only happen in a rural setting.

Posted by Rita Racine at 12:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The road in which Alvin Straight travels is different from any other because he traveling from, through, and to a rural area. I feel that this gives the road a sense of purity and innocence to it. It is not busy, congestied, or confusing like the highway roads surrounding big urban developments. He is able to just relax and travel at 5 mph on his lawnmower and no one bothers to say no. He is able to sit alone and watch the sky and gather his thoughts and this I think helps him to gain the power to see his brother again and I feel he also gians a sense of hope and pride in himself. Hope that his brother will want to see him and feel the same shame and sadness as he does and pride because he is tackling this on his own. He is doing it his way and he conpletes his goal eventhough numerous people tried to help him. I think another great thing about this film was that each person he talked with not only did they in some way help him along on his journey, but he too taught them a life lesson. For example, with the first gril who was running away because she was pregnant he taught her the goodness of family and how a family must stick together through thick and thin. By telling her about the twigs he realized how hypocritical he was being by telling this to his own children when he was not even staying in contact with his brother for some stupid argument that happened years ago. Overall, I think that the rural road works as a means of reveltation, realization, and actualization because of its purity and because it is not so cluttered by human life and urban development. It may take longer but it is much simplier.

Posted by Susie Q at 10:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In The Straight Story, the rural road operates as a space for realization, revelation, and actualization by providing a seasonal medium through which Alvin Straight can swiftly differentiate his formative life experiences from those of others and meditate on encapsulating moments without submitting to the mundane burdens of time. At one point in the film, Alvin remarks that he's been on the road for five weeks, yet this (apparent) journey has been truncated for the audience so much that such a claim seems astounding. This evoking of temporal standstill is reinforced structurally by the repeated musical montage motif (utilizing nearly identical shots) that suggest not only cyclical change akin to seasons or years passing by, but also, ironically, "noncyclical unchange"--Alvin really hasn't traveled so far, and his journey, while epic, is nothing compared to his accumulated experience. Alvin's frequent meetings with various people along the road give him, above all else, a sense of life's opportunities/challenges that he may not have practical knowledge of. It is in this respect that the road functions as a reifying force--while presented as a lyrical, dreamlike, nebulous expanse, it is also where the abstract is physically manifested in the form of, specifically, human understanding.

Posted by pete5676 at 09:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Straight story is a road film that is quite different from the usual or main road films that we have seen so far. It is different in a sense that in all the other road films, our main leads had a strong vehicle like bike in Easy Rider, or Bus in Pricilla, or a car in Little Miss sunshine, etc. Basically, in all the previous road films that we have seen so far dealt with strong vehicles. In this movie, the main character Alvin drove a lawn mower turned into a tractor, which was very funny. He drove that thing and spends about 16 weeks just to get to Wisconsin. This road film is also different from others in a sense that in this movie, our main character is not running away or trying to get rid of something. Instead, this movie is about a person getting to know himself. It is a sense of "becoming". Throughout the road, Alvin meets decent people on the road like that pregnant girl and the nice couple who gives Alvin a shelter when almost gotten into an accident. The scenery of this film was also quite different. In this movie, there was only the rural side. The environment is very quite, no traffics, not much vehicles around, farms all over the place, and nice calm people around the neighborhood. So, the experience that Alvin gets in this road film is very different from what others get in other road films. This could have been because of the rural side, Alvin's age, and sex. People that he meets on the road doesn't take him as someone who is dangerous and harmful. That could have been becuase of his age and also his health status. Alvin is a person who has knee problems and it's very likely that he won't be able to harm anyone. Through this 16 weeks, Alvin has all the time to think about his life and reflect upon what he has achieved and what he still needs to accomplish and things that he could do to make things better. The biggest lessont that he learns is when two brothers in this film have an argument and Alvin comes to make sense to them. However, what Alvin learns and sees is his own mistakes. So, I guess sometimes you don't see your mistake unless you see it in action from other people. Then, you are seeing someone else do it and you can remember that you have done that mistake previously and reflect upon the changes that you could make. Because, it's easy to comment on other people's mistakes and not yours own. So, when you comment on others, you realize that you have to listen careful to what you said and follow it yourself. this is the lesson that Alvin learns in the end.

For some reason, I think this could be quite similar to Vagabond. I mean, the main character does go around rural areas. one difference is that she has no vehicle at all. She is constantly hitch hiking. she is a girl and young. But, this movie is not about "becoming". Because the character doesn't learn any lessons, and dies.

Posted by Sakina at 09:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

To me, it seems as though Straight Story is a space for realization, revelation, and actualization through the fact that the film relies more on discussion and dialogue, or the lack thereof, rather than on action. Unlike the other, non-rural films that we've seen so far, the impacts that the protagonist, Alvin, has on other characters, as well as the interactions between these characters, are very low-key compared to those of other films we've seen. There is little physical action or large events that take place that propel the plot forward; here instead, the plot's momentum is dependent on conversations and spoken, calm exchanges between characters (the evening by the campfire with the pregnant teenager, the encounter with the Bambi-slayer, the stay with the couple after Alvin careens down the hill). This is most evident at the film's end in the very quiet, emotional reconnection that Alvin has with his brother.

Posted by Emma Zoch at 06:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Alvin Straight's journey is much unlike any we've seen thus far in other films. Much of this is part of his "becoming", which differs from the "leaving behind" feel that other movies have showcased. In other films we have viewed, they are entirely showcased in an urban environment (Set It Off), coming from or going to an urban environment (Easy Rider), or experience an urban feel in one way or another. Alvin does not have this setting - he begins in a rural area, journeys through a rural area, and ends in a rural area. He never leaves behind said environment, it is part of his "becoming." It's part of what he grows into.

The rural road in Straight Story offers something that other films haven't had the opportunity to showcase. This road is exemplified by its serenity. There is a certain calmness that accompanies Alvin Straight on his path. There is more open space, there is less noise, and less traffic - whether vehicular or otherwise. Straight maneuvers with his tractor - something that forces him to take things slow and be alone with his thoughts for plenty of time. This all encourages and helps cultivate personal reflection that Straight required for his development. If it were through a city, Straight would have been constrained physically and probably mentally by a crowded city. We see the an urban contrast when semi trucks cruise past Straight's tractor, blowing by him and threatening his path.

The rural road offers more than just a physical environment to promote a certain serenity. The rural community contributes toward Straight's "becoming." He is able to express himself to others and be very open, and the strangers he encounters are very compassionate and caring, something that is not so prominent in urban environments from previous films. Through this interaction with characters who do a wonderful job representing the rural path, Straight furthers his development coming to important realizations about family, love and caring.

Both the physical environment and the community in the rural environment make large contributions to Straight's "becoming," and they give Straight the essentials he needs that an urban community entirely lacks.

Posted by ryanx422 at 04:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The rural offers something completely different than the urban landscapes of other films, such as Set It Off. The urban is defined by bright lights, loud noises, concrete, fast paced, traffic, and a sense of containment. In contrast the rural is composed of openness, serenity, ability to witness the elements, a slow pace, and down to earth people. Had Alvin traveled through an urban environment his journey would have been drastically different. First of all, he would not have been able to travel by his lawnmower/tractor. We saw the urban represented in the semi trucks, wiz past him, nearly running him off the road. The urban semis were juxtaposed against his slow moving John Deere. Therefore the pace of his journey was important to his "becoming". The lengthiness of his travels gave him time to witness the elements of nature, see the stars and open land, with no distractions and plenty of time to think. Had his journey been shorter he would not have met all the people he did on the road, who all added to his "becoming" and self realization by the end of the film. Alvin witnessed the generosity and open mindedness of rural people when he is taken in by the family. He forms a relationship with them while his tractor is being repaired, learning from them, and sharing stories, such as his war experiences, that he could not have spoken about before; here again, the slowness of the rural is crucial to his self actualization. Driving on a urban highway or heavily traveled road would not have given him these opportunities to interact with people and add bit by bit to his realization of the important things in life. Perhaps he wouldnt have even made it to his brothers had he not had the experiences that only the rural could offer him. We see a symbolic moment of his progress when he stops and allows himself to have his first beer in a very long time. Without his journey through the rural midwest he could not have "become" the person he is by the end of the film.

Posted by sigmundfreud at 03:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The road within this movie functions really clearly as a symbolism for Straight's internal changes. He is on the road, but not to to seek out something new, and not to find new adventures and not because he does not like the place he is in life. He goes on the road in order to reclaim his place in life, in order to understand it, and to really accept who he is. Most of out other stories involve people leaving their usual places, leaving their "comfort zones" even though they may not be comfortable there and finding change and difference in the world. The road that Straight follows never changes. It's always corn in the background, always semi trucks cruising by, it's small towns with normal people and good people. The narrative does not relish change or differences, but explores the sameness of the world around him, so that we truly see who Straight is, without distractions from the road.

The narrative of the movie is just of an old man who needs to rediscover himself and his bonds. He does have a good relationship with his daughter, but he is out to fix the things that went wrong with in his relationship with his brother. Straight is not trying to meet new people, though he does accept the friendships that come along. He is also not trying to find a new place, but going home, to his brother's home. This gets portrayed in the film by constancy of the scenery. He is taking a slow, very slow ride through the same corn fields and the same towns. Everytime he hits a town, it is not a special town or any place really noteworthy, just a stop along the way. So the road he is traveling really exemplifies the inner path that he is taking: it is 6 weeks of going through the same places.

This movie really constrasts with movies like Thelma and Louise, Easy Rider and Vagabond, among others. These movies focus on the scenery in order to highlight how it changes and how it is different as the protagonists move along. But a movie like Powwow Highway, or at least Philbert's journey within, seems to parallel Straight's story. Philbert travels through large parts of the U.S., but truly he is just travelling to sights that are important to his identity as a cheyenne. Its irrelevant that they are far apart, or that they are places where many different types of events happened, what matters is that Philbert is finding or at least expressing his identity through these places. In a story like Straight's, the lawn mower and the highway road are not representations of mobility, but in fact through their characterization (a lawn mower does not move fast, and the highway never seems to change at all), we get to see a man focusing on his internal healing and the bridging of his relationship with his brother.

Posted by whoa at 01:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)