Christine Shreve
Topic of Choice 1
12/8/2016
Recently I watched the film Hacksaw Ridge a couple of times and I can’t get it off of my mind. I think one of the most profound parts of the movie is the main character, Desmond Doss’ humility. One of my favorite scenes in the movie is when a character named Smitty calls Doss a coward. At one point during this scene Smitty takes a picture of Doss’ fiance Dorothy and he begins provoking him saying that she deserves a “better man.” When Doss tries to get the picture back Smitty has him repeat after him saying “Please give it back, Smitty.” In this scene it is clear that Smitty is trying to assert dominance over Doss; it seems as if Smitty is enjoying making Doss look weak. By having Doss repeat this request after him, it is obvious that Smitty is trying to provoke him Doss into reacting in a strong way. As I watched this I felt heat rising inside of me because if I were in his position, I would have been so angry. I loved this scene though because rather than Doss reacting aggressively to what Smitty is doing, he just complies with what he wants and thus gets fiance’s picture back. In reality, I'm sure Doss had the desire and ability to punch Smitty and get the picture back with physical force, but he humbled himself and showed restraint. I think sometimes it is more powerful and impactful to show restraint and do nothing rather than fighting back---this scene is a great example of this.
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