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Elia Kazan's On the Waterfront

            It takes someone of tremendous conviction to change the world around them and become a hero against injustice. Elia Kazan's 1954 film "On The Waterfront" shows that change requires momentary heroes who are capable of standing out from the status quo. Through their individual efforts, these characters are able to make a profound difference to those around them. Through the protagonist Terry Malloy the audience sees a man's moral growth until the moment he is able to stand up for his rights. However, he is not alone, as Kazan uses Edie Doyle and Father Barry as the motive for Terry's change. While their purposes in ending Friendly's mob control of the docks are different to Terry's, their desire to find answers and provide a better life for the working class longshoremen is no less pivotal to bringing change though it requires them to change their own thinking first.
             A person's self-belief is imperative if they are to challenge what they feel is wrong. Kazan's portrayal of Terry's journey to heroism shows that change can be brought by individual effort. The Terry the viewer is introduced to is simple and meek, as seen when Friendly playfully manhandles him in the bar. He refers to Terry by the childhood name "slugger" and paternally lectures him when he questions why he wasn't told about Joey's death. While is romantic interest in Edie Doyle shows him to be more manly than Friendly treats him, it is the offer to treat him with "kindness" that inspires Terry's devotion to Edie. .
             Despite his instance that he "ain't a bum," Terry lacks the will to bring about change until he confronts his brother Charley with the realization that "he coulda been a contender coulda been somebody" if it weren't for Charley. That this has haunted Kazan's hero and demoralized him so much has an enormous impact on Charley whose sacrificial death finally galvanized Terry into taking action against Friendly.


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1. On The Waterfront

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4. Edie and Terry in On the Waterfront

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