Comparing character development and poverty in The Pursuit of Happiness and The Soloist

¶ … 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 mental problems. Both men are determined to do everything in their 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 in assisting them put their talents to work.

One of the most important differences between Gardner and Ayers lies in the fact that the former is hesitant about openly admitting his condition while the latter tells his story to virtually every individual that he encounters. This is probably due to the fact that Gardner considers that he is guilty for the situation that he is in whereas Ayers acknowledges that his conditions is owed to factors that had nothing to do with his character. At one moment Ayers actually claims that Steve is similar to a god-figure for him as a result of the assistance that he provides. This makes it possible for viewers to understand that Ayers was perfectly aware that his condition was critical and that people were generally inclined to refrain from helping an individual in his position.

What is curious is that individuals seem determined to help Ayers in spite of the fact that he cannot be cured. In contrast, society does not express interest in helping people like Gardner, even with the fact that he is talented and that he is perfectly able to perform a series of jobs. One of the primary reasons for which the social order is reluctant about helping homeless individuals is the fact that the masses consider them to be lazy and generally unwilling to work. This is reflected by the fact that the two central characters in the films under discussion are marginalized as people have a tendency to ignore them. In spite of the fact that he is significantly impressed by the way that Ayers plays the violin, Lopez is hesitant about approaching him because he believes that homeless people are only interested in exploiting 'naive' and 'vulnerable' individuals. The journalist gradually learns that there is more than meets the eye when considering poor people in general and Ayers in particular.

When considering persistence, it would be easier to contrast Gardner with Lopez, as it would be absurd to compare a mentally healthy individual with a person suffering from schizophrenia. Both of these individuals struggle to achieve their goals in spite of the fact that they encounter serious resistance on the way. Even with the fact that he knows that the business industry is particularly demanding and that it is very difficult for someone to succeed, Gardner goes on with trying to make it in this domain and actually demonstrates that he has the mind for it. Similarly, even though Lopez knows that it is very difficult and almost impossible to deal with a schizophrenic person, he does everything in his power with the purpose of having the world understand what it feels like to be in the position of someone like Ayers.