Preview

Muriel's Wedding

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
821 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Muriel's Wedding
Muriel’s Wedding (1995), written by P.J. Hogan, explores the central notion of relationships. Relationships can be defined as the connection between people and others, and it is these relationships that allow an individual to find and/or reaffirm their identities. More specifically, Hogan conveys that individuals will always seek out others who they can form positive relationships with, which in turn can reaffirm their sense of identity. He also portrays that the outcome of a relationship is not always what individuals expect when they initiate them, and social labels such as marriage may fail our expectations and do not always indicate the true nature of a relationships.
In Muriel’s Wedding, Hogan successfully discusses that when individuals are positioned in an environment with others whose values are not concordant with their own, they will seek out relationships with others who can support them and can thus reaffirm their sense of identity. In the beginning of the play, Muriel is still in search of her identity, thus attempting to make friends with Tania and her group of friends as a testing ground. Although the negative statements “We don’t want you hanging around us anymore” and “you bring us down Muriel” convey how Tania’s group feel that Muriel does not belong in their group after all, Muriel does not want to be left alone. She thus steals money from her family to go on a holiday in order to reconcile with Tania’s group of friends in an attempt to prove her worth. Even so, Muriel finds no place to stay inside Tania’s social circle but she meets Ronda on the holiday who supports her and catalyses her solidity in self-belief as evidenced by “You’re not nothing, Muriel. You’re amazing… Now you’re a success… you’ve made it”. This example exemplifies how the nature of the relationship between Muriel and Ronda helps Muriel reaffirm their sense of identity because of the mutual support of each other. Thus Hogan shows us that bad relationships can make excluded

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    In the essay “The Radical Idea of marrying for Love,” Stephanie Coontz voices her opinion on George Shaw theory, the expectations of love and how it has changed over time. Shaw believes that marriage is “an institution that brings together two people under the influence of the most violent, most insane, most delusive and most transient of passions (Coontz 378). Marriage overtime had different variations depending the time frame in which it was in, and the culture that influenced it.…

    • 1173 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    BOOK REVIEW AND CRITIQUE

    • 2964 Words
    • 12 Pages

    Driscoll, M., & Driscoll, G. (2012). Real Marriage: The Truth About Sex, Friendship, & Life…

    • 2964 Words
    • 12 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Analytical Essay

    • 835 Words
    • 4 Pages

    In the early stages of both texts it is obvious that Josh and Muriel have different relationships, as Josh is respected and dependable while Muriel is rejected and a failure. Josh is trustworthy towards his friends which make him respected in his relationships. For instance, he shows his loyal and respectable values and attitudes in the first chapter as he tends to a woman customer who has lost her cardigan. “A cardigan. What colour was it, Madam?” Josh asks politely to help the woman. (p3). Josh also shows that he is dependable by singing songs in the band which are chosen by the lead guitarist Neven, despite not liking the song. After viewing the first couple of scenes of Muriel’s Wedding, it is clear that Muriel is rejected and has complete different relationships than Josh. In the first scene, she attends an engagement party. While there she is confronted by the police and a woman accusing her of stealing the dress she is wearing. As she arrives home in a cop car, she is then ridiculed by her family which leads to her father, Bill Heslop, bribing the police men and leaving with a carton of beer. In the first text the audience is positioned to recognize Josh’s deeds as a reliable and honest person, whereas Muriel is some what felt sorry towards for being unwanted and a disappointment.…

    • 835 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Relationships are an emotional connection between two people. In the novel The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz by Mordecai Richler Duddy has many relationships, which change the way he acts, thinks and ultimately changes the plot dramatically. The life of Duddy changes throughout the novel from the relationships he has with his friends, family, and enemies.…

    • 1297 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Relationships are special bonds between people that do not happen quickly. It takes time meet someone you would consider having a relationship with, and then it building that relationship can be tough. When having a romantic relationship it takes feelings, but it also takes two people to put in effort. The most important step of a relationship is building it, so if you cannot do that step it will not work. Joseph F. Newton once said “People are lonely because they build walls instead of bridges.” This quote proves that building a relationship is very important to a relationship; however it is not the only one. Seamus Heaney’s "Scaffolding" displays romantic relations, by describing the building of relationships, the stages of a relationship, and love.…

    • 573 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Author Stephanie Coontz writes about the ideas of love and marriage through out history in the article “The Radical Idea of Marrying for Love.” Early in the article Coontz quotes an early twentieth century author by the name of George Bernard Shaw, who states, “marriage is an institution that brings together two people under the influence of the most violent, most insane, most delusive, and most transient of passions. They are required to swear that they will remain in that excited, abnormal, and exhausting condition continuously until death do them part.” ( qtd. in Shaw 378) Coontz explains that the ideas of marriage today are, although heart felt, unrealistic and daunting. She reveals that not so long ago the thoughts on love and marriage were very different for many societies and cultures throughout the world.…

    • 971 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Pride and Prejudice

    • 977 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Since marrying her daughters to wealthy men is of such importance, it is derived that she probably feels the same way towards her own marriage. In conversation with Mr. Bennet, they disagree more times than not. While Mrs. Bennet threatens to “never see her again” (82), if Lizzy does not accept the proposal by Mr. Collins, her husband replies headstrong saying “from this day you must be a stranger to one of your parents” (82). They never talk about their disagreements like a loving couple should.…

    • 977 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Princess Bride

    • 558 Words
    • 3 Pages

    For this paper, I chose to define, compare, and contrast the internal and external conflicts throughout the movie. Man vs. Himself, Man vs. Others, Man vs. Nature, and Man vs. Machine. The first one is the only “Internal Conflict” for every character. The next three are all the “External Conflicts”.…

    • 558 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Brown, Susan L. "Marriage." World Book. N. pag. World Book Student. Web. 12 Apr. 2013.…

    • 3362 Words
    • 14 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    My Big Fat Greek Wedding

    • 456 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Fotoula "Toula" Portokalos (Nia Vardalos) is going through an early midlife crisis. At thirty, she is the only woman in her family who has "failed". Her family expects her to "marry a Greek boy, make Greek babies, and feed everyone until the day she dies." Instead, Toula is stuck working in the family business, a restaurant, "Dancing Zorba's". In contrast to her "perfect" sister, Athena (Stavroula Logothetis), Toula is frumpy and cynical. She fears she's doomed to be stuck with her life as it is.…

    • 456 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Princess Bride

    • 824 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The Princess Bride is a 1987 American film, based on the 1973 novel of the same name written by William Goldman, combining comedy, adventure, romance, and fantasy. The film was directed by Rob Reiner from a screenplay by Goldman also the book’s author. The story is presented in the movie as a book being read by a grandfather to his sick grandson, this technique effectively keeping intact this novel's narrative style. This movie is number 88 on The American Film Institute's (AFI) "AFI's 100 Years... 100 Passions" listing the 100 greatest film love stories of all time.…

    • 824 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Companionship is arguably one of the most important things in the world. Without companionship, it has been scientifically proven that a person becomes depressed, lonely, and in extreme circumstances, insane. Two forms of companionship are marriage and friendship. Most people spend their entire lives seeking new friends, waiting until they find someone special enough to be their spouse. People need companionship and it is considered a natural event in one’s life. In the play Our Town by Thornton Wilder, the author expresses the importance of human connections, such as marriage and friendship, and even goes as far as interacting the audience with the characters.…

    • 350 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Muriel comforts herself with ABBA records, dreaming of the white wedding that will turn her into another person. In one scene, at a nightclub named "Breakers", Muriel meets her so-called "friends" who proceed to tell her they don't like her because she is an embarrassment. These bimbo bitches tell Muriel she needs to "find friends on her own level." This scene is symbolic of the way Muriel is treated throughout the movie and the way she acts in return. Muriel is forever being told she is not good enough and is an embarrassment, which is why she tries to transform herself into a new person.…

    • 606 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    title paper for as level

    • 300 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Relationships and Choices: relationships with family and friends / future plans regarding marriage / partnership / Social issues and equality…

    • 300 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Divorce

    • 730 Words
    • 3 Pages

    As the years pass it is common to see people getting married without full knowledge of who they are marrying. Couples who date for a certain time period often say, “I love you” and not, “I’m in love with you.” “I love you,” is three words that often confuse a relationship and sometimes are words said without meaning. “Marriages are sacred vows and hence should be undertaken only when two people in love are willing to enter into a lifetime commitment.” Sadly to say marriage is often the eye opener as to why some people should not be together.…

    • 730 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays