Harold And Maude Essay

Hal Ashby’s Harold and Maude follows in the tradition of modernist films like The Graduate. It explores the life of its title character through his eyes, and the interactions with his compatriot, Maude. The film gives us insight into popular sentiments of the 1970’s and the feelings the American public had towards the Vietnam War. The conflicts in the film are ambiguous and leave much to the interpretation of the viewer; and those that are presented are focused on Harold’s vision of himself. The film shows that the choices and actions of individuals are important, and challenges traditional morals and ethics.

The 1970’s was a turbulent time in the United States. “The unpopularity and questionable morality of the Vietnam War led to a severe

This exemplifies the modernist concern of becoming just another number: The loss of self that comes with industrialization, or in this case being drafted into the military. Nowhere is this more apparent than in a scene in which Maude and Harold are sitting in a field of daisies. Maude asks Harold what kind of flower he would like to be and he replies that he’d like to be one of the daisies—because they’re all alike. Maude replies “Oooh, but they're not. Look. See, some are smaller, some are fatter, some grow to the left, some to the right, some even have lost some petals. All kinds of observable differences. You see, Harold, I feel that much of the world's sorrow comes from people who are this´(in reference to the flower she has distinguished from the rest) but pretend they are that (in reference to the field of seemingly similar daisies)” (Ashby). The filmmaker juxtaposes the character of Maude against the character of Harold. Her sense of self forged during 79 years of life, and in facing (and escaping) the fascists of Nazi