Straight’s Revelation
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.