Catch Me If You Can Character Analysis
Summary: Frank William Abagnale, Jr. is a real-life trickster who has been immortalized in film through Steven Spielberg’s Catch Me If You Can. The movie starts with a fictional game show with three Frank Abagnales. The actual plot, however, begins by introducing the two main characters of the myth: Frank Abagnale and Carl Hanratty, an FBI agent who works for the financial crimes division. Hanratty is trying to get Frank, who is very sick in a rural French prison, back to the US. The story then flashes back 6 years, where Frank is a happy 16yo living with his parents. It is revealed, however, that Frank’s father, whom he idolizes, is a liar who is being investigated by the IRS for tax fraud. They eventually lose everything. Soon after Frank
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Frank is the criminal in the movie, yet he is also the hero. In fact, Frank is the perfect example of the anti-hero. By beginning his history with his family, the audience sees the origin story of his myth. His parents both lie to him in different ways. One of the biggest influences on Frank, however, is his relationship with his father. The role of his father, in fact, can be likened to Zeus’ role in Perseus’ mythology. It is shown how Frank learned some of his most basic con artist tricks from his father. Frank is driven by his belief in his father’s myth: his victimization by the IRS and his great magical love story with Frank’s mother. His family, therefore, serves, as both his motivation and his weakness, much like Odysseus. Frank is obviously haunted by some misguided idea of bringing back the myth of his perfect family, which, after a while, he no longer seems to believe. In fact, it is interesting to note that it is his parents’ divorce that first causes Frank to run. It is what “chases” him. Therefore when he learns of his father’s death and sees with his own eyes his mother’s new family (and consequently the crumbling of his illusion of his parents’ romance), he no longer feels the need to run. When he stops running, he is “rewarded” by a legitimate job that he is good at and a friend, the first person in his life to both always be there and never lie to him. Frank, Thus, is vulnerable and a product of his tragedies, which does not make him bad, only
Frank is the criminal in the movie, yet he is also the hero. In fact, Frank is the perfect example of the anti-hero. By beginning his history with his family, the audience sees the origin story of his myth. His parents both lie to him in different ways. One of the biggest influences on Frank, however, is his relationship with his father. The role of his father, in fact, can be likened to Zeus’ role in Perseus’ mythology. It is shown how Frank learned some of his most basic con artist tricks from his father. Frank is driven by his belief in his father’s myth: his victimization by the IRS and his great magical love story with Frank’s mother. His family, therefore, serves, as both his motivation and his weakness, much like Odysseus. Frank is obviously haunted by some misguided idea of bringing back the myth of his perfect family, which, after a while, he no longer seems to believe. In fact, it is interesting to note that it is his parents’ divorce that first causes Frank to run. It is what “chases” him. Therefore when he learns of his father’s death and sees with his own eyes his mother’s new family (and consequently the crumbling of his illusion of his parents’ romance), he no longer feels the need to run. When he stops running, he is “rewarded” by a legitimate job that he is good at and a friend, the first person in his life to both always be there and never lie to him. Frank, Thus, is vulnerable and a product of his tragedies, which does not make him bad, only