Rain Man free essay sample

Rain Man starts off with a pompous self-centered business man named Charlie Babbitt. Charlie is in deep water trying to save his business when he receives a phone call alerting him that his father has passed away. He returns to his hometown Cincinnati for the funeral with his business associate/lover Susanna. Charlie tells Susanna that his mother had died when he was two, his father showed him minimal affection, and when he was scared he had an imaginary friend named Rain Man that would sing to him. He also tells Susanna the reason why his relationship with his father had come to an end. When Charlie was16 he had brought home admirable grades that he thought his father would have been proud of and as a reward he wanted to drive his father’s Buick. His father denies him, so Charlie takes the car anyways without permission. Charlie and his friends are driving around town when they are pulled over because his father calls in a report of a stolen car. We will write a custom essay sample on Rain Man or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Charlie’s father left him in prison for 2 days, whereas his friends’ parents bailed them out that same night. Charlie left home as soon as he had gotten out and never looked back. When Charlie’s fathers will is read he is highly upset to learn that he left with prize winning rose bushes and the Buick that had brought their relationship to an end. The estate though, amounting to 3 million dollars had been left to a private trustee. Very upset Charlie goes to the local bank to get information on who is in charge of the private trust, this leads Charlie to Wallbrook. During his search for the trustee at Wallbrook, Charlie is shocked with news that he has a brother he never knew, Raymond Babbitt, a high functioning autistic savant. Dr. Bruner who in charge of the trust and care taker of Raymond tells Charlie about his brother and the challenges he faces every day. Although, all Charlie seems to be interested in is how to get half of the money he thinks he deserves. Charlie takes Raymond off the institution grounds without permission with hopes to use him a leverage to get his half of the money. Charlie and his brother embark on a road trip that not only exposes Charlie to a world he never knew, but to the many unresolved issues within him. While he has little patience for his brother, Charlie is forced to accommodate to all of Raymond’s wants and need. Although he does observes that he is good at memorization and quite smart, Raymond lacks the understanding of social formalities. While in hotel one night Charlie learns that his brother is actually, â€Å"Rain Man†. Charlie had been two years old when his Father had sent Raymond away because he thought he had hurt baby Charlie with a hot bath resulting in a burn. While getting closer to his brother and learning a little more patience for him, Charlie takes Raymond to Vegas. In Vegas, Charlie uses Raymond to impressively counts cards and wins the money he needs to save his business and cover the hotel fees. The two brothers share an intimate moment and dance together. As the movie comes to an end, Charlie has focused on someone other than himself. He has found compassion in his heart and no longer wants his share of the money, but to stay with his brother. Upon returning to Los Angeles Charlie set up a custody hearing to see who will keep his brother. Although he has made a real connection to Raymond over the past couple of days, Charlie returns his brother to Dr. Bruner, seeing that that is what is best for him. He then promises Raymond that he will see him in two weeks as he boards the train back to Wallbrook. Section 2: After watching Rain Man there were several different psychological issues that were present. One of the first and most apparent issues present was one of the main characters, Charlie Babbitt who has relationship and family issues. Charlie had no personal attachments to anyone and he had resentment towards his father. Charlie also had a hard time with emotional expression. Charlie’s psychodynamic experiences with his father had lead him to the way he is. Psychodynamic psychology can possibly explain someone’s personality traits and disorders explained by unfulfilled wishes and childhood traumas (Myers, 2013). Charlie’s father had a hard time showing his son love and affection so this could have affected Charlie. Charlie does the same with his own personal relationships. The next issues are Raymond Babbitt, an Autistic Savant. Raymond has memory issues, emotional issues, and psychodynamic consciousness (id) issues. Raymond has extraordinary memory. He is able to recall information after just learning it once. Raymond can do complex math problems in a matter of seconds. Raymond can barely understand emotional expressions in a traditional sense. Raymond is stuck in what Freud called the Id. The id is a  reservoir of unconscious psychic energy that strives to satisfy basic drives and immediate gratification. (Myers, 2013). This pertains to Raymond because he wants his needs satisfied immediately if not he has a tantrum. One example is Raymond had to have his schedule exactly the same as Wallbrook. Same foods on the same days, same shows at the same times, same clothes, bed near the window, and many more. Section 3: The film Rain Man depicted the issues quite well. The film makers did a good job at capturing the audiences interests in autism, family dynamics, and the influences parents and peers can have on one another. I think it sparks an interest in Autistic people because it poses questions like can autistic people really be that high functioning? Do family relations have that much of an influence in how we act? Or even can you be that high functioning autistic but not understand the little concepts such as the value of money. In the movie the characters both definitely depict some psychological issues. Charlie cannot seem to comprehend what Raymond is going through or have any empathy for him. The filmmakers depict Charlie’s family issues well, the fact that he had no mom and an estranged father. From Charlie point of view he had frustration, lack of communication, and pathological lies. Charlie went through a personal growth throughout the movie and was able to connect and form a real personal relationship with his brother. The filmmakers’ caught Raymond’s point of views and issues quite well also. They showed that special need people go through many challenges every day. That it takes patience and understanding to deal with someone who is unable to comprehend social norms. That you must be self-less and caring to someone who may be grown in body but childlike in mind. I think this movie might misinform some people because they might assume all autistic people are the same as in the movie or that everyone will treat autistic people with the kind of frustration that Charlie did. The movie though may help in some way in that they may realize that there needs to be some patience when it comes to people with special needs. I would recommend this film to a friend or family member it doesn’t really have anything to be too conscious about except for maybe one sex scene. Other than that it’s a good movie to watch about autism and family issues that some people could probably relate to.