High Fidelity and the Film’s Social Commentary
Uploaded by JayJay on Dec 22, 2004
High Fidelity and the Film’s Social Commentary
In Society today, men are bombarded with rules regarding behavior and the image of masculinity they must project. Media and pop culture display masculinity without properly defining its boundaries, creating a double standard for men which is both confusing and impossible to live up to. The confusion and doubt that such a double standard causes often has disastrous social implications. Not only does it make men miserable and self-conscious, but in addition it places a stereotype on men that is extremely difficult to overcome. It is also very common in our culture to find literature which labels men and in a negative way. An example of this is The Rules which gives women 'advice' on what to do to catch and keep Mr. Right: 'Don't try to change him because men never really change. You should accept certain flaws or find somebody else.' This leads the reader to assume that the authors have lumped all men together, and that they are all the same and unchanging. When reading High Fidelity however, we find an example of a protagonist who proves this stereotype false. Rob battles society's expectations and his own insecurities while making a huge change from a miserable adolescent 35 year old, to a happy and fulfilled adult adult. The language of the novel allows us to see deep into Rob's thoughts and insecurities and relate them to our own, while the modern setting helps to enforce the middle class ideology that individual change is not only possible, but important and relevant to the men (and women) of today. Throughout the novel, as Rob exhibits signs of his inability ro accept adulthood, we as readers can relate. When he finally takes some initiative and drags himself out of his pit of despair, we realize that if a guy like Rob can do it, we can do it too. In this way, High Fidelity impacts our culture by proving that men can break the stereotype and indeed can change.
The statement 'it's not what you're like, but what you like' basically summarizes Rob's views on people in general. Before his change, Rob identifies a judges people solely on their musical taste or lack thereof. In the shop this developes into a type of snobbery, especiall with Rob and Barry who tend to have more outspoken views.. On many occasions they make customers feel...