In Mystic Rivers Celeste betrays Dave and as a consequence falls from fortune. She has a decent life; husband and son, house in a small town, and what seems to be a happy life. Her fall came from her lack of loyalty. It was a test, and she failed. Celeste was the one person who could have protected Dave from the cops and Jimmy. Instead, she planted the seed of doubt which lead Jimmy to kill his childhood friend. Jimmy was not in his right mind and a little suspicion and “evidence” was all he needed assert his revenge, especially when it came from someone so close to Dave. After the dust settled it was clear that Dave did not kill Katie. However it was too late, Dave was already at the bottom on the river. There is dramatic irony when the audience discovered Katie’s true kills and Jimmy learns that he killed the wrong man. Celeste’s mistake caused her husband’s death.
Dave repeatedly assured Celeste that he did not kill Katie, but Celeste would not believe him. Instead she decided to believe mismatched evidence and coincidences when she did not know the full story. The question becomes “Does a wife trust her husband or “evidence”?
This is a fall that Celeste might not come back from. She must live with that guilt for the rest of her life, not to mention gossip and judgment from people from the small town. Family is who people trust the most. Dave did not know he would be betrayed by a love one, let alone his own wife. Like the meme, this movie shows how hard it is to trust anyone. People will always disappoint and "stab you in the back".
Celeste is definitely broken down throughout the film and has a significant downfall. Her downfall can also be juxtaposed with Jimmy's wife, Annabeth, who receives no punishment for her laudation of Jimmy's malevolent deeds. Annabeth does not backstab her husband and is there to support him, which gives power to her and her family.
ReplyDeleteI really love this post as it shines a new light on Celeste for me. I did not see Celeste as a backstabber but as a concerned mother. She has her son to worry about and when everything began adding up I felt that she truly believed Dave killed Katie. I didn't feel that she was malicious in her doings but by your post I am starting to think differently!
ReplyDeleteAnnabeth was definitely hiding her true colors throughout most of the film. Until the actual parade scene at the end, the audience is meant to think that she is a loving and caring mother. Though she may be an even bigger backstabber in the end than Celeste is. The reason for this is that Annabeth, while not directly betraying anyone, is using her husband as a way to become a "queen". It is possible that by beguiling Jimmy during his moment of weakness, Annabeth can persaude him into doing anything to achieve her goal of becoming "queen". Whereas Celeste's backstabbing was more out of fear for her own safety, and possibly Dave's, since she thought he murdered Katie.
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