The 400 Blows By François Truffaut

1106 Words3 Pages

Society has long fought to keep a balance, an organized harmony that keeps it running. A rigid structure ensures that those who do bad are punished and those who do good are rewarded with the ability to carry on with their lives, uninterrupted by chaos. It is when that balance, harmony, and structure are broken that the chaos descends. In the film The 400 Blows directed by François Truffaut, society is represented through the interactions between a troublemaking child and his school, home, police, and eventual incarceration at a juvenile reformation center. The film forces the audience to question societal traditions and comprehend them through the eyes of a disruptive child. The film follows the Parisian life of a young boy, Antoine Doinel …show more content…

His mother (Clair Maurier) is distant and cold, while his father (Albert Rémy) is more child-like, showing a lighthearted attitude, but lacking the guidance Antoine needs. This private society, rather than shining light on the worst of his behavior, chooses to ignore him completely. Antoine is forced to carry out chores while his parents discuss their upcoming racing event. His home isn’t a home that he is welcome at; he sleeps in an entryway with a sleeping bag and ripped pajamas and his parents senselessly leave him alone to attend a racing club. His innocence is shown through his shrine to Balzac, but even that is tarnished as the candle he lights sets the curtain on fire. Antoine’s parents lack the support he needs of leading by example. His parents, adults who have been confined to society’s traditions and experienced years of following the rules, lack the motivation to teach their son what to do, but instead get upset at what he does do. His mother complains that she doesn’t know how to fix is erratic, transgressive behavior, but does nothing in attempt to actually stop it. Society is giving expectations, but not teaching …show more content…

When Antoine is thrust into the public society facing the police and a juvenile reformation center he finds it harder to cope with the new life than his old life where he was constantly yelled at and forgotten. The police put all their attention on him for stealing a typewriter and the juvenile reformation center focuses on changing his behavior. Antoine is no used to the societal norms and while he knows stealing the typewriter is wrong, hence why he tries to return it, he is not accustomed to sharing a cell with various vagrants. This sudden change in his environment forces him to the center where he once again, is unwanted. The center questions why he steals, why he lies, why his dislikes his mother and Antoine’s answers are all easily given. He has always struggled to find a life where he is wanted as his Grandmother didn’t want his mother to have an abortion, but lost the money needed to raise him. Since no one will believe him he lies and because of his mother disliking him, not wanting him having once spoken of getting an abortion, he sees her resentment and reflect it himself, back to her. Every society he has ever been a part of, has found him useless and

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