Saturday, February 16, 2008

The Big Lebowski

One of the biggest themes that one is able to seen in The Big Lebowski is the clash of socio-economic status peoples within a given community. Obviously, The Dude is not a part of the upper-class, or even the middle class. However, he ends up doing all the "grunt" work for the rest of the upper and middle classes. The movie, especially within The Dude's smaller community, provides a microcosm of the overall American society. The lower class is dependent on the upper and middle classes for monetary value, and the upper and middle classes rely heavily on the lower class for doing their "grunt" work. However, it is not the lower class people that come out on top, because there tends to be a lot of unethical actions taken by the upper class towards the lower classes, and this comes out within The Big Lebowski. It appears that the only way to really make it in America, or to prove the "American Dream," is to delve within a decadence lifestyle, or to make money unethically. The only actual "normal" people are The Dude and Donny, and they get treated horribly by the upper class. Throughout the entire movie, The Dude is forced to do this and that, like being led here and there on a leash. Towards the end of the movie, Donny gets a heartattack and dies because of the unethical actions of the upper class. Instead of treating the lower class with respect, the upper class "uses" them in order to line their pockets a bit more.

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