At
the beginning
of the film Witness the character John Book, played by Harrison Ford, is portrayed
as a violent but straight laced cop working the streets of Philadelphia. While Book seems to be very isolated
from the world around him, he is very judgmental of it. He criticizes his sister for her life
choices and is very violent towards the criminals he is dealing with. Once he enters the world of the Amish,
he begins to experience some important changes. Although his violent ways remain the same, he gains a
greater sense of community and family and realizes the impact that his violent
actions have on others. He
experiences these changes because of the film’s unique representation of the
Amish. It has been said that, “What makes Witness unique is its painstaking
and loving depiction of life among the Amish" (Pfeiffer, 151).
The
Amish promote an elevated sense of community. Unified by their common beliefs, the Amish have cultivated a
tightly woven village. Within this
society of people, everyone works together for the greater good of the
group. In the same regard,
everyone in the community looks out for one another to ensure the longevity of
their societal beliefs. Given that
they have isolated themselves from the corrupt modern world, they are often
weary of any outsiders. The fact
that he was allowed to live among them had a profound impact on Booth. He was able to witness first hand how
the community functioned as a cohesive unit. This was most likely the first encounter Book has had that
proves the benefits of community.
In the Philadelphia, everyone is isolated and there is no real sense of
community. After his time with the
Amish however, Book gains an understanding of community.
Along
with their sense of community, the Amish place an importance of family. Everyone in the community is concerned
about the temptation that Book poses by being among them. They worry that Rachel will be tempted
to run off with Book. Rachel’s
father, Eli Lapp is the one that is most concerned. He loves his daughter and does not want her to fall prey to
temptation. Book realizes this
despite his feelings towards Rachel.
He understands that if he were to act on his feelings, it would have a
devastating effect on not only her father or the community, but on Rachel as
well.
While
Book remains violent throughout, it is clear that he realize the impact that
violence has on others. In the
scene where the tourists are bullying the Amish men, Book gets up to defend
them. Eli Lapp attempts to convince him that violence is not the Amish
way. Book ignores him and resorts
to violence. Although Book has not
changed in that regard, it is clear that his actions are more calculated. When he gets up to fight those boys, he
is doing so to defend the community that he has come to know and
understand. So in his own way,
Book has taken a step towards a higher understanding of community.
Nicole, very well written response. I completely agree with your assertions about community. The Amish maintain a unique sense of community that is practiced by each member of the village. Working together, they all make sure to maintain certain values and practices in order to keep the Amish beliefs alive. Book definitely picked up some of this belief while living on the farm. This is seen in several instances. First, he is reluctant at first to even wear the Amish clothing, but eventually accepts. He also worked with Eli to rebuild and repost the bird house that he knocked over. Finally, he wakes up early with Eli in order to milk to cows. He learns that even as a guest to the farm, it is important to pull your own weight, something he may not have ever known while living in the big city.m
ReplyDeleteVery well written response. In the beginning of the film, John Book is a very isolated and violent man. He seems to have no interest whatsoever in starting a family or even being apart of a greater community. While recovering at the Lapp's farm, I think Book is greatly appreciative of how caring the Amish community is. It seems as though Book has pushed away most everyone in his life, possibly because he wishes to prove himself as a capable man. However, when he nearly dies from the gunshot wound, the Amish do everything in their power to help even though they have no professional medical experience. I also noted that while Book does learn to understand and appreciate community as well as family life, his instinctive violent nature does not change. This is not necessarily a bad thing though. The fact that Book engages in a physical confrontation with the tourists who are heckling the Amish men shows that Book genuinely cares about their community and well-being. Although the Amish our pacifists, Book does what he does best to defend them. This is Book's own way of repaying them for the hospitality they have shown him since he first arrived.
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