Symbolic Interactionism in the Boondock Saints Essay Sample

The Boondock Saints was a movie released in 1999 about the MacManus twins. The MacManus brothers began as two regular Irish work forces working in a meat mill. but after meeting several traumatic events they begin a new calling. which involved the violent death of work forces that they deemed corrupt and evil. With the aid of their friend Rocco. a member of the Italian rabble. they begin uncluttering the metropolis of Boston of its felons. Along the manner FBI agent Smecker and a group of Boston investigators attempt to track them down but finally get down to assist the MacManus brothers in their quest to free the metropolis of trash. The film is full of symbols that appear to act upon all of the chief characters including the MacManus twins in their conquering.

Symbolic interactionism was developed in the 1960’s and was exemplified chiefly by George Mead’s pupil Herbert Blumer ( Conley. 2011 ) . Symbolic interactionism focuses chiefly on smaller. more face-to-face interactions or microsociology unlike many other theories such as functionalism ( Conley. 2011 ) . The chief thought of symbolic interactionism is that people act in response to the significances that are assigned to them. For illustration a xanthous brake light agencies to decelerate down and fix to halt ( Conley. 2011 ) . Erving Goffman’s dramaturgical theory was one of the base theories behind symbolic interactionism. This theory uses theatrical footings to explicate how we act and so alter how we act based on the responses we receive in our brushs in society ( Conley. 2011 ) . The thought of this theory involves a front phase and a wing. Front phase is the public presentation or existent life interaction with others while the wing is where you pattern for the front phase in order to salvage yourself from embarrassment. Another major theory of symbolic interactionism is the labeling theory.

The labeling theory involves the forming of an individual’s self-identity based on others and how they see or label them ( Conley. 2011 ) . This label influences their behaviour as they can conform to that individuality. For illustration if an stripling is labeled a booster they become more likely to shoplift and take part in other condemnable behaviour because that is their individuality. This is best demonstrated with the Zimbardo prison experiment where pupils we assigned to be either guards or inmates. Those individualities became a portion of them and the experiment became out of control when these new individualities overpowered their old 1s. Negative labels are called stigmas and they change the behaviour. personality. self-concept. and societal individuality of an person. which goes along with the influence of the labeling theory and offense ( Conley. 2011 ) .

The MacManus brothers were strongly influenced by their faith. They believed that God assigned them to acquire rid of the felons around after holding being awoken from their slumber to the voices believed to be god. They wore necklaces with Gaelic crosses. which symbolized their religion and significance for making these Acts of the Apostless. They brought them out after killing their marks. They besides placed pennies on their victim’s eyes and said a supplication for them. The pennies are a symbol from their Irish background where it was believed that a toll was needed to be paid in order to go through to god. These were merely a few of the many spiritual symbols that influenced the behaviour of the MacManus brothers and caused them to prosecute in this activity.

The labeling theory can account for a batch of the behaviour that takes topographic point throughout the movie. After their first brush with Russian gangsters. the MacManus brothers were given the name “Saints. ” The name began to lodge with them and formed their new individualities. They were considered saints because they did the occupation that the constabulary couldn’t. Many of the gangsters were let off with probation or other facets of that nature when they deserved true penalty. They took it upon themselves to take these people from the streets of Boston and protect the citizens. Rocco besides found himself organizing a new individuality because of the labeling theory. He had the stigma of a “mobster” nevertheless he didn’t feel like he was with the occupations he was given. He was a simple bundle male child for the rabble and wanted more. One twenty-four hours he eventually took on that individuality and killed three other gangsters in a dinner in order to demo he was capable of being the gangster they didn’t think he could be.

In the beginning of the film the two brothers and Rocco socialized at an Irish saloon owned by a really close friends of theirs. This saloon was a topographic point of relaxation and comfort for them about like a place. This was their back phase. It is where they practiced their societal accomplishments and interacted with other people that they were comfy with. This allowed them to larn what thing that they should and shouldn’t do with others. Their front phase included topographic points such as the constabulary station and the meat mill where there was possible for embarrassment which could consequence where they were in society.

Symbolic interactionism can be tied in with the Boondock Saints to explicate why a batch of the actions occur throughout the movie. They were influenced and acted upon symbols that they had significances for particularly spiritual symbols. Labeling theory and dramatic art theory can easy explicate why the twins decided to take on their rubrics as the saints and commit the Acts of the Apostless that they did. It besides showed how and why they interacted with others in society the manner that they did.

Mentions

Birkbeck. C. . & A ; LaFree. G. ( 1993 ) . THE SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS OF CRIME AND DEVIANCE. Annual Review Of Sociology. 19 ( 1 ) . 113-137.

Conley. D. ( 2011 ) . You may inquire yourself: An debut to believing like a sociologist. New York: Norton Publishing.

Couldner. A. ( 2000 ) . Other Symptoms of the Crisis: Goffman’s Dramaturgy and Other New Theories. In. Erving Goffman ( pp. 245-255 ) .

Interaction and Symbolic Interactionism. ( 2011 ) . Symbolic Interaction. 34 ( 3 ) . 315-318. doi:10. 1525/si. 2011. 34. 3. 315

Perry. B. L. ( 2011 ) . The Labeling Paradox: Stigma. the Ill Role. and Social Networks in Mental Illness. Journal Of Health & A ; Social Behavior. 52 ( 4 ) . 460-477. doi:10. 1177/0022146511408913