¶ … films (The Pursuit happiness the Soloist) Discuss similarities 2 characters commenting upbringing, determination skills Contrast persons experience poverty, commenting external internal factors, systems place hurt, attitudes money, strengths weaknesses character What criminal acts person commit viewed society differently ? Why Not? Note symbolism movies ( racoons Soloist ) Discuss stereotypes poor people. The Pursuit of Happyness and The Soloist

The masses are obsessed with the concept of a journey of self-discovery and about events that make it possible for people to progress significantly. Gabriele Muccino and Joe Right have both gone at discussing this topic in their films, The Pursuit of Happyness, and, respectively, The Soloist. The central characters in these films, Chris Gardner (The Pursuit of Happyness) and Nathaniel Ayers (The Soloist) both experience significant problems as a result of poverty and as a result of their inability to adapt properly. The two films are meant to provide viewers with the feeling that anyone can experience success as long as he or she is determined, regardless of society's attitude toward the respective individual.

Gardner and Ayers both needed a lot of support and understanding in order to avoid becoming the victims of their own actions. However, their families and society as a whole were unwilling to assist them when they experienced problems and thus made it impossible for them to develop properly at a particular moment in their lives. Each of them was enthusiastic about their future early in their lives, but came to suffer greatly because the social order considered that their personalities were not socially acceptable.

It is intriguing to observe as both characters lose all of their hope as a result of the problems that they come across. Similar to how Gardner loses almost everything that he has because of failing to comprehend that it would be impossible for him to succeed with the portable bone-density scanners that he is trying to sell, Ayers drops out of Julliard and ends up on the streets because he can no longer cope with his power in order to achieve success, but they are unable to do so because society rapidly limits their actions.
In contrast to Gardner, Ayers appears to embrace poverty and he is not necessarily upset with his condition. Surely, this might be because he acknowledges his situation and considers that there is very little that he can do in order to recover. What is interesting about both of these characters is the fact that they never lose their confidence, as they continue to be proud in regard to who they are even when they are living on the streets. Homelessness did not manage to kill their spirits and it actually influenced them to push even farther with the purpose of demonstrating that they are, indeed, proficient in their field of work.

The two protagonists perceive money as a form of sustenance, considering that they are not necessarily interested in living a lavishing lifestyle. One of the primary reasons for which they both fail to succeed at an early stage in their lives is the fact that society is generally inclined to undermine individuals. Gardner is tricked into investing his life's savings into a useless product while Ayers knows that it would be impossible for people at Julliard to accept him being schizophrenic. Gardner's weakness is represented by his naivety while Ayers' weakness is represented by his mental problems.

Gardner and Ayers both manage to experience success because of coming across individuals who are able to see more than their appearance. In spite of the environment that the characters live in and in spite of their condition, the Dean Witter manager and Steve Lopez are impressed with their personalities and get actively involved…