"The Hurricane: Film Analysis

1.   One of the reoccurring motifs in The Hurricane is perseverance. Although most citizens recognize Rubin “Hurricane” Carter as innocent, he is still locked up in jail for the believed reason of the hatred towards black people. The movie shows the journey Carter goes through and the consistent persevering to prove justice. Even when thrown in jail Carter still does what he can to prove his innocence. Though he seems to give up at one point, the perseverance of Lesera and his friends are what end up boosting the attitude of Rubin with the eventual freedom of Rubin.

2.    I found that one of the most significant symbols in “The Hurricane” was the jail uniform. They symbolize guiltiness. Carter made a point of refusing to wear the uniform for that very fact. He knew he was wrongfully accused of being guilty and would not tolerate being treated as guilty. Another symbol could be Carter’s boxing jacket. It is a symbol of who Carter is and what his motives and desires. He is reminded of all of this when Lesera send him the jacket. It reveals to the audience the significance of boxing to Carter.

3.     Both The Hurricane and To Kill a Mocking Bird are examples of African Americans being prosecuted due to the color of their skin.  Both Tom Robinson and Rubin Carter were wrongfully accused of murder, but still thrown in jail due to ignorance of particular white colored folks. Both had their chance in court (Carter had it three times), but it was evident that the courtroom and the jury were bias and fearful of claiming a black man innocent against a white man’s word. Carter however, was privileged to have a judge that realized the injustice while Tom Robinson did not have a realistic or understanding judge. In both scenarios it was easy to notice the unwillingness of the police and judges to even listen to the stories of the convicted individuals. They were taught and surrounded with the knowledge that colored people were inferior to whites and were often treated inhuman. During Tom Robinson’s trial, Atticus seemed confident and relaxed while Rubin Carter’s lawyer seemed uptight and nervous. Carter however seemed sedate even when addressing the judge. Carter’s speech seemed to be what convinced the judge of the wrongful conviction.

4.    The most recognizable motif between To Kill a Mocking Bird and The Hurricane is racism against African Americans. The behavior of the majority (white people) is very similar between both stories. In both scenarios the white people are arrogant and believe they are superior to the African American race.  This results with treating them extremely poorly. The idea of racism towards black people has been carried on through many generations and is a slow process to break down. Many people decide to not take action when it comes to racism with the fear of being judged themselves and frowned upon by their common neighbors. So these people choose to keep their mouths shut as the rest of the strongly opinionated people talk unbelievably lowly about this race and thus further passing the horrid idea down to the children.  Racism is an ongoing cycle passed through generations that desperately needs to be broken.