The butler movie written by Lee Daniels came in a period when the world was going via the pop culture history. The racial struggles are portrayed in the movie not only as a remnant of the past, but still evident and painful part of what is happening in most countries. The movie demonstrates the current condition by focusing on the decades of racial politics and injustices that have managed to prevail in the 20th century. The movie reflects the racial, social, economical and political struggles by marrying the ideas of the character’s private life and the political world. Therefore, we will evaluate how the movie portrays the political, social and economic factors of the African community based on the issues of gender, class and race.
The movie traces the issues of racial discrimination in the America from the era of Jim Crow South to the civil rights movement and during the election of president Obama. These events surround the life of one black man who was working inside the white house. By using this black man, a complex personal and political views are created because the author demonstrates how social change can affect anyone and can in turn be influenced by any person. The combination of the white house and Gaine’s family reflects the social issues. This is so because the prolonged working hours affect the personal life Cecil and his Wife. Similarly, the political decisions from the White house affect the family’s social-political life (Daniel, 2013). Demonstrating the world that is racially splitting, the movie gives importance to the character’s race as well as his or her personal ideology. The Cecil works in the social structure formed by the institutions of discrimination, segregation and inequality representation. He managed to face economical challenges by understanding his place in the social order, requesting for a small increase in pay which he manages to achieve after a decade of appeal. His persistent and courageous nature enabled him to fight for fairness by insisting on being treated like white people.
The movie focuses on how the politics of the moment can influence one’s lifetime. This is shown by the relationship between Cecil and his son Louis, who clash over politics due to their diverse approaches toward civil rights. The Cecil fought for blacks’ equality by working hard, advocating for equal pay and openly resisting stereotypes. On the other hand, his son Louis played a significant role in the 1960’s racial politics by protesting against racial segregation (Cusey, 2013). Louis was motivated by the stench of discrimination, and his fight was directly confrontational because he was fed up with the racism. Although these two characters fought for the same political principles, they represented divergent strategies to the historic moment.
The movie also had significant ideas about the fight for civil rights. It demonstrates predominant leaders whom changed the course of history, despite them being racially discriminated. Women were not left behind in the fight for civil rights. This occurred because they were denied to participate in public leadership roles due to gender norms in that period. However, they contributed greatly by taking part in local rallies, organizing movements and mobilizing and raising money. Women’s movement's motive was to maintain their dignity in facing the gender oppression. The characters managed to demonstrate that African American were hard working, and should be treated equally. Therefore, the movie shows the vastness of social, economical and political experiences of black people in the 20th century via challenges of class, gender and race issues.
Works Cited
Cusey, Rebecca. "Hey Conservatives: Don’t Bash ‘The Butler’ (From a Conservative)." Tinsel. N.p., 18 Aug. 2013. Web. 17 Feb. 2014.
Daniel, Lee. "THE BUTLER Movie Trailer (2013)." YouTube. N.p., 23 May 2013. Web. 17 Feb. 2014.
