Ireland, where potatoes being the nation's staple food crop, a place of thriving landlords and surviving peasants, an island only an ocean's distance away from America.
The story of the two Irish dream-catchers linked them together.
Far and Away, the title of the movie, is also the distance between dreams and reality. The detachability of the dreams offers the story's possibility and credibility.
Joseph and Charlene, two Irish young people. One was the son of a poor tenant who could not afford the tenancy and had his house burnt as a result and died away fortuneless; the other was the daughter of a rich landlord who gained a lot of wealth through years' accumulation. The tenant happened to be paying for the landlord's field, so Joseph met Charlene when he entered her father's mansion to take his revenge for his father's death. He failed, having more time to stay with the noble maid.
Two hearts were both pursuing for freedom and independence. Joseph always bore in mind his father's last words: A man is worthless and soulless until he has had his own land. He was tolerant of miseries but reluctant to leave his home for a new life. Charlene was well-educated and open-minded and eager to seek for a new life in the New World but unready to face obstacles and setbacks. Once they united accidentally and set for America, their dreams seemed approachable.
However, when they reached America, dreams fell to the ground, and the cruel society forced them to make a living by doing odd jobs. This was the real image of American dreams started from the bottom.
If we refer to the history books, we will find that Irish Americans were frequently discriminated against in housing, jobs, and education. Anti-immigrant groups stereotyped the Irish as “uncivilized”, “unskilled” and “impoverished”. Irish Americans usually lived in crowded ethnic ghettos and worked in the least desirable occupations. Irish American men were usually manual laborers, while Irish American women often found employment as domestic servants. This picture perfectly matches that of Joseph and Charlene.
The liberty and democracy Uncle Sam preached was nothing but a piece of blank paper.
Joseph worked his way up as a successful boxer; thus he could save money to buy a carriage to go to Oklahoma for the realization of his dream—to own a land. Charlene could only work as a chicken-dresser, suffering all that she had not suffered at home. But dreams were fragile. A loss on the boxing-ring sent him out of the asylum. They were both homeless and penniless.
Let's come back to the Declaration of Independence which reflects American beliefs, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." Under such beliefs, the American character was formed, which distinguished it from that of any other nation: 1) Individual Freedom and Self-Reliance; 2) Equality of Opportunity and Competition; 3) Material Wealth and Hard Work ; 4) Goodness of Humanity and Improvement; 5) Time and Efficiency; 6) Assertiveness. That's the point. 1) is their ideal, 2) is their way, 3) is their purpose, 4) is their pursuit, 5) is their principle, 6) is their habit.These Irish people had their own virtues inside and they were shaping themselves to correspond with the American winning rule. The jungle law tells us: the fittest survives.
They departed after that incident. Joseph worked on the railway and Charlene came back to his family who had been to America. But they could not let go of their dreams. Anyone could have dreams, whether he be a king or a beggar. When God gives us life, he gives us mind, too; with mind, we could dream.
Therefore, fate arranged their reunion in Oklahoma. They took part in the race to get their own land. This was not only Joseph's father's dream, and yet not only Irish Americans' dream; it was a dream generally possessed by the ordinary people, described as the “American Dream”. To be or not to be? The answer lay in their own hands. They grabbed the bridle tightly and penetrated the banner which symbolized the achievement of their dreams into their land. They became heroes at that very moment.
Happiness was gained through inconceivable efforts. The easily gotten gold was never considered satisfactory. Joseph and Charlene played their parts in this contest concerning dreams, which gave a vivid illustration of the American character and the so-called “American Dream”—from nobody to somebody. Once you try, you will find dreams are not far and away unless you are sloth and aimless. The greatest distance is not between two person's hearts but one's two fingers.
I do, therefore I am.
Giant Woo
2005-5-23
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