An Analysis of the Characters in The Rock

After looking past the numerous, and unrealistic, action scenes, one issue struck me as particularly interesting. Conformity is a subtle theme revealed throughout the course of this film. General Francis Hummel, agent Stanley Goodspeed, and FBI director Wommack all fit roles which appear to be in line with the conditioning they received from serving in military and government roles. Despite his disillusionment with the American government, Hummel, a renowned war hero, is driven by moral certainty and cannot bear to kill the lives of innocent citizens. He is proud of the service he has rendered his country and therefore cannot truly turn against it and the lives of the citizens he fought to protect. Goodspeed portrays the typical nerdy scientist whose only combat knowledge came from the brief field training he received in order to become an FBI agent. Thrust into the deep end, he is forced to learn quickly or thousands of innocent people will die. Director Wommack’s role is synonymous with that of many upper level politicians. He is hot-headed, malicious, and oblivious to the feelings of others. With a constant snarl on his face, it is easy to disapprove of his stubborn attitude.

The sole exception to these conformist roles is John Mason. A former British agent, he opposes the American government and is consequently punished for it. Instead of following every order he is given, he is apparently disillusioned by some aspect of government and steals its deepest, darkest secrets. Despite all this, he never appears to be the lethal, cold-blooded killer who is so dangerous, he technically does not even exist. Rather, he is solely the victim of having too much knowledge of government’s covert operations.

In addition, we are able to see the emotional and compassionate sides of each character before the action begins. Hummel makes sure that all children are off the island before beginning his takeover and Goodspeed shows his concern for his pregnant girlfriend and their unborn child when being assigned a role in the mission to land on Alcatraz. Also, Mason still cares about his daughter that he has never meant; she was the driving force behind his will to escape from The Rock in the first place. In contrast to these characters, Wommack is shown as a heartless, self-centered individual who has little respect for others.

~A.B.

A Note of Characterization in The Birdman of Alcatraz

Robert Stroud was an essence of many things. He was considered the strangest man alive. He was also considered a genius. He was convicted of a murder in Alaska and was sentence to life in prison. In the movie Birdman of Alcatraz, he keeps birds as pets and finds cures for them when they got sick. He started to have pet birds in Leavenworth Prison and was told he could not have pets at Alcatraz. This starts a trend and he and the other convicts acquire birds, such as canaries, as gifts from the outside. Before long, Stroud has built up a collection of birds and cages. When they got sick, he conjured up experiments and tried to come up with a cure. As the years pass, Stroud becomes an expert on bird diseases. His writings are so impressive that a doctor describes him as a "genius."

Stroud is a paradox of a man living in a time period of violence. On the way to the prison he breaks a window in order for the suffocating prisoners, and this gets him off to a bad start with the warden at the Leavenworth Prison. At the beginning of his sentencing he got upset really easily and attacked a guard for making his mother leave before she could see him. After that he starts to calm down and gets into his studies.
When Stroud worked with the birds, he studied a lot. He taught himself half a dozen languages. He also taught himself a bunch of scientific subjects which helped him cure the birds. People thought he was a genius. Even with all those studies and working with birds, he kept to himself and rehabilitated himself.

He never broke out with the outside world. He never read a newspaper, watched a television, listened to radio, never saw an airplane, and never saw a car. He also became rehabilitated. Still at kept with a keen eye with authority, Stroud nevertheless manages to help stop a prison rebellion in 1946 by throwing out the guns the convicts got their hands on. He then assures the guards that they can now re-enter the premises without fear of being shot. He was never broken, never been beaten, and is known as the defiant man alive.

~J.B.