The Breakfast Club, written, produced and directed by John Hughes, often considered to be one of his most critically acclaimed movies, explores the personal identities, challenges, experiences and outlooks of five high school teenagers of Shermer High School in Illinois. The five students are sent to the detention room even before the school day starts, and this is where the movie gets its name. One of Hughes’s friends had his children studying at the New Trier High School, where students who were sent to early morning detentions were dubbed ‘members of the breakfast club’ .
On the surface, the five students have absolutely nothing in common, since each belongs to a very distinct social group within a typical American high school. Each character is a depiction of a different kind of stereotypical student during the 1980ss, which is when the movie was released.
The picture perfect, extremely good-looking and apparently coming from an affluent family is Claire Standish, who symbolises the pretty, popular girl at school that boys want to date and other girls are envious of. Presenting a stark contrast is the second female character of the group, Allison Reynolds who represents the awkward social outcast at school, who has no friends and doesn’t fit in with any in-group at all. The high-school star athlete and jock is Andrew Clarke, who is an accomplished wrestler and is well-known for his physical prowess on the field. Brian Johnson’s character is that of the classical nerd, always absorbed in his books and someone who feels accomplished in little else other than studies, and in this particular case, in Physics. And lastly, John Bender’s character is a depiction of the classic troublemaking, rebellious teenager, whose only interest in coming to school is to find new ways of breaking rules, doing exactly what he has been asked not to do and in doing so, antagonising no just his school mates, but his teachers and principal as well .
Using the five characters, Hughes has explored the identity crisis that teenagers experience and the challenges they have to deal with. The most significant of which is peer pressure and the desire to fit in and be accepted for who you really are, rather than adopting behaviours and attitudes simply to conform to social expectations. Interestingly enough, while the individual problems that each of the characters face appear unique and vastly different, what they realize during the course of the day as they get to know each better is that, take away the pretences and all of them are struggling with similar obstacles .
For Claire, who seemingly has the most perfect life compared to the other four, it is fulfilling the expectation of always maintaining a perfectly groomed appearance that takes its toll on her. Not to mention the fact that she also comes from a disturbed family, with parents who make her the point of contention in all their arguments and fights.
Trouble at home is a common factor through which Claire, Andrew and John bond over. Andrew shares that despite what he has achieved, his father is never satisfied and constantly pushes him to do better; this lack of approval from him has created a lack of self-confidence in him. John’s case is more extreme because since he comes from an abusive family in which not only has he suffered, but he has also witnessed his mother becoming a victim of constant physical beatings by his father. This past has created in him a rebellion against all forms and figures of authority, and is also visible in his interactions with Principle Vernon .
In Brian’s case, the constant expectations to never failing at school has made him a high-achieving student, but severely hampered his overall personality development as a ‘regular kid’ with a normal high school experience. For Allison, the ignorance and lack of care from her parents has resulted her in being mentally unstable and her inability to connect with people socially and emotionally, until she does so with Andrew towards the end of the film .
The contentious and strained relationships with parents is also an important theme highlighted in the plot that most of the characters have in common. This is proof that the kind of childhood and family life people have significantly impacts the character development of children.
Works Cited
The Breakfast Club. Dir. John Hughes. Perf. Judd Nelson and Molly Ringwald Emilio Estevez. 1985. Film.
Weebly. "The Breakfast Club Analysis." 12 April 1990. Weebly.com. Online. 6 May 2016.
