We're going to need a bigger blog....

We watched Jaws by Steven Spielberg, definitely one of my favorite directors, including Jaws being one of my favorite films. That movie left me so scared when I was really young, to the point that I had trouble taking baths, in fear that a shark might just chomp his way out of the drain and eat me! I still am freaked out though by large dark bodies of water, even Lake Michigan, boy am I a wuss. I was completely shocked to hear that people have not seen Jaws; I can believe that they couldn’t finish it.
I found an interesting connection on my walk home from the train pondering the connections of this film with the time and era it was in. It could be farfetched to compare it to the American male’s emotions and situation to the Vietnam War. Here is a dilemma that is bigger and unknown, almost unexplainable as to the reasons of why these events are all happening. You thought the first time people were sent to eradicate the problem, it was over and no one else would have to go and take care of this unseen problem. Just as you thought you caught the problem or the bad guy and did him in, it wasn’t the right one, or another had taken its place.



Chief Martin Brody played by Roy Scheider, could be seen as a perfect example of the young American drafted soldier. We don’t know why or how he ended up going from New York City into a small town to serve and protect the small island of Amity. Again, it could be said as to a sort of unknown reason to as why a soldier was picked to go from their original home to a new foreign land surrounded by his worst fears. Brody’s fear is the fear of water, doesn’t say much on how he has this fear other than drowning. The Oceans are foreign territory to humans, especially to Brody; he knows he’s out of his element. I think the same could be said about the average American soldier during Vietnam, they were sent to foreign territory, completely out of their element to serve, protect, and fight an unknown entity.


Richard Shaw, who played Sam Quint, can be seen as the veteran who has seen too much for his own good. To the point where he feels impervious to any big fish, and almost gets everyone killed due to his ego and will to defeat something bigger than him (or his boat). You really start to question, who is more soulless; Quint or the shark? What he lives for ends up being his demise.



Matt Hooper, played by Richard Dreyfuss is the guy who knows too much for his own good. The planner and brainiac that thinks he can outsmart primal instinct with gadgets and knowledge. And when shit starts to get hot, heavy and lives are at stake, he is nowhere to be found. I think you can relate this to all the government suits who were nowhere near Vietnam making calls on tactics and missions without any true knowledge if they were working. Granted he was at the bottom of the ocean floor, after being forced out of his “anti-shark” cage, more like a “free meal” cage. *Insert comedic drum fill*

Do I even have to start about Mayor Larry Vaughn, played by Murray Hamilton? A guy elected to serve Amity with the best intentions, and his intentions for the best of Amity led to having several people die on his watch, all just to make some cash. Letting other people take the fall for his choice in feeding Islanders to the great big fish. If you don’t see a correlation between him and the American government during the Vietnam War, then I guess I am really far off with these judgments.

Although these could be far from the truth, and some of these connections are broad generalizations, even stereotypes. I think there is something still to be said about men and their decisions when facing an enemy they don’t understand, willingly or unwillingly.