Cool Hand Luke Movie Essay

1132 Words3 Pages

Cool Hand Luke is a film that takes place at an old prison. Luke the main character ends up drunk and destroying public property ending in him getting caught and thrown in jail, this is where the prisoners are expected to listen to higher authority, making sure to follow all of the rules or they will end up in the box. Luke and fellow prisoners live a structured day to day schedule; eat, sleep and work. After a while of being in prison he hears of his mother’s passing. Luke becomes tired of being locked up and attempts to break out of prison three times only to be caught. The third time he gets caught he is shot leaving one to assume that he died. The end scene of Luke is of him smiling as his friend claims he had on his “Luke smile” which …show more content…

The word Majority influence is used to help described conformity because people often conform to please others, not their selves. Non conformity on the other hand is when one refuses to conform. People usually conform when they believe what others are doing is more correct or they want to fit in. A scene that shows conformity is when the prisoners are outside working in the field. They are all participating in the same activity, eating the same things as well as having to be in bed by a certain time and be up before light. This is called conformity to group norms because the prisoners are followed the structured ways of prison life. Many of the prisoners also follow the rules because everyone else is, if a few prisoners started to stop and go against authority others would surely follow if they felt that it is the best option for themselves. This is how our society tends to work. Luke shows non- conformity through attempting to break out of the prison three times. Whenever he got away he would pull tricks on them. This shows that he refuses to conform to any of the rule that have been made and is willing to break them even if there are consequences. Each time he was caught he was faced with worse and worse consequences. To him escaping to live his own life, how he wants, is worth it even if it ends in death which viewers watching Cool Hand Luke sadly

Show More
Related

  • Cool Hand Luke Movie Analysis

    561 Words  | 2 Pages

    In conclusion, The prison inmates were pretty much disciplined, all except for Luke Jackson. The three methods definitely worked to keep the inmates under control and the methods were hard labor, restraints, and solitary

    Read More

  • Nonconformity in "Cool Hand Luke"

    1188 Words  | 3 Pages

    Luke's disobedience, with the lack of a just cause, ultimately led to his demise when he realized that fact at the end. His desire to disobey authority for no particular reason and construction of an image initially created tension among his inmates. Gradually, inmates started to idolize him, which the wardens saw it as a threat. His multiple escape fails to cement a clear reason for his disobedience; it was not until his recapture that he starts to lose his moral. He realizes this at the very end, however it has been too late. Cool Hand Luke demonstrates to us that disobeying authority requires a moral, just cause so that one can accomplish a more fair society and be one step close of attaining happiness.

    Read More

  • Cool Hand Luke

    1014 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Cool Hand Luke, the movie begins with the word, VIOLATION, across the screen. The word is from a parking meter and sets the tone for the entire movie. Luke Jackson, the title character, is arrested for cutting off the heads of the town’s parking meters while drunk, or in legal terms, for destroying municipal property while under the influence of alcohol. When asked why he cut the heads off the parking meters, Luke answers, “You could say I was settling an old score.” While it leaves the viewers believing that he probably received a parking ticket at some time in the past, no clues are given to what the old score may have been.

    Read More

  • Cool Hand Luke Essay On Conformity

    1279 Words  | 3 Pages

    In addition, the Captain follows to beat Luke in front of the other prisoners. Now, by the Captain punishing Luke, he only places himself into a situation where Luke is able take advantage of him by gaining influence. This influence through non-conformity is achieved when Luke escapes twice after and is killed by the authority; what this does for the prisoners is instill an image of Luke as a martyr for goodness, perseverance, and courage, which these traits they begin to adopt as well as showcasing the corruption of the authority around them. One might say that Luke, becoming a martyr, had freed his soul and cleared his name because he was able to prove himself and expose the authority to the only remote family Luke had- the prisoners which he taught, ate with, worked with, and lived with for the remainder of his life. The film, Cool Hand Luke, is a rollercoaster of symbolism and reference’s which create an equally enticing ‘Face-value’ and/or ‘Deeper-meaning’ viewer experience.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Cool Hand Luke

    1488 Words  | 3 Pages

    Inmates and correctional personnel have different views on how treatment should be carried out. In the film, Cool Hand Luke directed by Stuart Rosenberg, one is able to see the daily life of an inmate and the power of the authority over them (Carroll & Rosenberg, 1967). Cool Hand Luke displays the meaning of a prison film movie. According to Dr. Paul Mason, he defines this as “a film which concerns civil imprisonment and which is mainly set within the walls of a prison or uses prison as a central theme

    Read More

  • Exploring Social Influence and the Experiments that Attempt to Explain Social Influence

    2031 Words  | 5 Pages

    We live in a society where each individual has their own set of thoughts and beliefs. Occasionally one will modify their beliefs and behavior to coincide with a group. This is an example of social influence. Social influence has three main components; conformity, compliance and obedience. The concept of compliance is similar to conformity, however there is a slight difference. Compliance only requires a person to perform a task. The person does not have to agree or disagree with the assignment, just simply complete it. Conformity requires the person being influenced to change their attitudes and or beliefs. An example of this aspect of social psychology is the holocaust in World War II. Adolph Eichmann was a Nazi officer responsible for filling up death camps in Germany. After the war he went on trial in Jerusalem for crimes against the Jewish people, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. On May 31, 1962, he was sentenced to death for the horrible crimes he committed. His defense was "Why me? Why not the local policemen, thousands of them? They would have been shot if they had refused to round up the Jews for the death camps. Why not hang them for not wanting to be shot? Why me? Everybody killed the Jews". A few months after the start of Eichmann’s trial, Stanley Milgram instituted an experiment testing ones obedience to authority. He wanted to find out if good people could do atrocious things if they were just obeying authority. Was Eichmann and millions of others in Nazi Germany decent people who were just following orders? Some other famous experiments that have taken place to test the waters of social psychology are Philip Zimbardo’s Stanford prison experiment and Solomon Asch’s conformity experiments, all ...

    Read More

  • Glory Movie Essay

    1451 Words  | 3 Pages

    “Glory” is a 1989 war film based on the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry of the civil war (18861-1865). It stars Matthew Broderick, Denzel Washington, Care Elwes, and Morgan Freeman. It was directed by Edward Zwick, and the screenplay was written by Kevin Jarre who was inspired by two books, One Gallant Rush: Robert Gould Shaw and His Brave Black Regiment (1989) and Lay This Laurel (1973). The story is told largely through Colonel Robert Gould Shaw’s perspective and what he experiences throughout the war.

    Read More

  • The Definition Of Conformity And Non-Conformity In Society

    1805 Words  | 4 Pages

    The definition of conformity is the compliance with social standards and laws in a particular culture, environment, society and time. If this occurs the individual changes their attitudes, beliefs or actions to align more holistically with those in the surrounding groups and environment, as a result of real or perceived group pressure. This is ultimately a direct result of the power which a group has over the individual. There are two types of conformity, normative conformity, and informational conformity. The motivation behind normative conformity is the desire to be liked and accepted in society. This is most widely known as peer pressure. For example, a student begins smoking because their peers

    Read More

  • Cult Leaders: Changing Attitudes by Conditioning The Members of a Cult

    1648 Words  | 4 Pages

    ...at person’s belief but is carried out to achieve rewards or to avoid punishment (Winner 2011:287). Conformity is behaviour that blends with the behaviour of the majority of the group needed to function effectively in a large group (Winner 2011:290). Conditioning the members of a cult is an effective way to change attitudes of the members to ones that are approved by the cult’s social standards and ideas.

    Read More

  • Conformity In Cool Hand Luke

    1126 Words  | 3 Pages

    Cool Hand Luke is a film that starts off with the main character Luke. Luke has done crimes and has to go to prison while there he tries to escape three times before he dies. During this film, there are signs of the three social psychological themes which are conformity, non-conformity, and obedience to authority. In this essay, I will be explaining all these three themes with their examples from the film. To understand these themes in the film, it is essential to understand what each team really means. Conformity is when a person changes their behavior or beliefs in order to be accepted by a group (McLeod, S.A., 2016). Nonconformity is the opposite in which one doesn 't conform (Collins English Dictionary). Finally, obedience to authority

    Read More

  • Theological Symbolism in "Cool Hand Luke"

    1336 Words  | 3 Pages

    From the first day at the jail, Luke stands out amongst the inmates. Most of them follow and bend to every rule that is made by the warden and prison guards, while Luke sneers at the establishment. The prisoners also follow the rules of the biggest inmate, Dragline, who is portrayed by George Kennedy. Still, Luke does not take the excessive rules and regulations seriously, which gets him into trouble. Dragline challenges Luke to a boxing match, and they meet out in the court yard. Due to Dragline’s large stature and strength, he beats Luke into a pulp. What was initially a large crowd cheering on the fight, turns into a sad spe...

    Read More

  • Cool Hand Luke Resistance To Power

    587 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the movie Cool Hand Luke, the main character is arrested in the first five minutes of the movie for beheads all of the parking meters along a street. He is being forced to abide by the rules in prison and at first, does not get a warm welcome by his fellow prisoners because he refuses to abide ...

    Read More

  • Never Let Me Go Conformity Analysis

    1148 Words  | 3 Pages

    It is very common to see conformity among young people, especially when large groups of young people are constantly around each other. School is one example where conformity is rampant. For some reason people tend to gravitate towards what others are doing. In Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel, Never Let Me Go, the characters are no different from any other young person in that they tend to conform. Ishiguro shows this conformity to prove that conformity stems from the want to fit in and pure ignorance. At Hailsham, the students conform just to fit in with the rest of the students, but they also conform because they do not know any better.

    Read More

  • Dead Poets Society Essay

    450 Words  | 1 Pages

    If we conform every student will be the exact same and our learning styles would be the same which they are not. We would be a bunch of zombies, and we wouldn’t maximize our learning opportunities, We would be unproductive. Being a nonconformist could be world changing, and there is proof of this in history. Think of Rosa Parks’s decision to not move seats on that bus in 1955; that brave act helped to surge the civil rights movement, her refusal to conform led to a change in racial equality. Wrapping this up, I believe that conformity is nonproductive, and being a nonconformist is

    Read More

  • Invictus Movie Analysis Essay

    1040 Words  | 3 Pages

    Nelson Mandela was one of the greatest leaders of our time. In the movie Invictus, the devotion and love he had for the South African people is exemplified. The movie was named after a Victorian poem that brought President Mandela strength while in prison. The meaning of Invictus is “Undefeated”, a perfect fit for this movie. The opening scene of the movie shows President Mandela being freed from jail and driving past a field of young boys playing soccer. All the boys start chanting the Presidents name and running to the fences to get a better look. This is the first scene, and an obvious show of support and following for Mr. Mandela. Throughout the movie there are many different styles and approaches of leadership shown. Not only is President

    Read More

More about Cool Hand Luke Movie Essay

Open Document