Friday, May 3, 2013

Symbolism in The City of God




A variety of topics are covered in The City of God. One main topic covered is that of the life in the slums of Brazil, but not just on the surface. The film covers the stories of many different figures and how they represent the mindsets of the differing citizens that live in these slums. Each character represents a specific approach to living life in the favelas.

These characters also hold the different personas of those living in the area. For example, Lil Ze' represents the forceful approach and how a supreme desire for power leads to hopelessness. In a search for power, Lil Ze' underestimates his enemy and ends up dying as a result of it. He can represent individuals that are blinded by their own desires.




Additionally, Characters like Ned symbolize how one can become consumed by a culture or way of life. We see in the beginning of the film how Ned chooses to stay away from the expected violent and criminal lifestyle that is expected for him. As time goes on though, he gets sucked in and becomes the very thing he said he wouldn't. This leads him to his overall downfall.


For my personal research project I would like to cover and analyze how characters are used as symbols in other films. I want to see if I can draw a parallel from another movie to this one. I will focus on how characters represents not only an individual but a group of other individuals as a whole.

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