Monday, March 7, 2016

Mystic River: Question #5


There is one defining moment in a Greek tragedy that can completely seal someone’s destiny. In Mystic River, this occurred when Celeste told Jimmy that she thinks her husband, Dave, killed Katie. Previously, Dave had done everything in his power to avoid being blamed for Katie’s murder; he had lied to his childhood friends, the police, and even his wife. Dave never told his wife that he did not beat up a mugger who tried to take money from him, but de facto he assaulted a man who was molesting a child in his car. Dave clearly didn’t trust his wife with the truth, so he took extra precautions by lying to her as well.

Even after his wife forsook him, Dave continued to attempt to avoid his fate by falsely admitting to killing Katie for Jimmy. Whilst Jimmy was holding him at gunpoint, Dave continued to tell the truth, which Jimmy refused to believe. Unlike Desdemona in Othello—who continued to stand her ground and tell the truth even though Othello killed her for doing so—Dave finally lied to appease Jimmy and admitted to killing Katie. Dave took one last possible detour in attempt to not be killed, but nevertheless, Jimmy sealed Dave’s fate with a dagger though the stomach and bullet through the head.

Dave’s fate is accurately described by Jean de La Fontaine—a french poet from the 17th century who believed that a person would still reach his fate, even when that person has done everything in his power to avoid it. Fontaine’s quote reflects on Dave’s experiences because he truly went down every road that would have taken him to life, but he still wound up at the dead-end street of death.

1 comment:

  1. This is a very good example. Dave could have never avoided hist death because if he didn't admit, they would have killed him, and when he did admit it, they killed him. Also the fact that the three friends grew up together and wear tore apart by a single event. Only for them to be brought back together by a single event, shows it was destined to for them to be a part of each others lives.

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