How does Raising Arizona (movie) use symbolism to help explore its Essay

How does Raising Arizona (movie) use symbolism to help explore its theme - Essay Example The film derives much of its language from the disparity between the level of speech expected from the characters and the level of language that is actually spoken. This disparity is there not just for comic effect, but also to contribute fully to the movie’s theme about American self-improvement through upward mobility. H.I. and Ed’s pursuit of a child is symptom of the pursuit of the larger aspect of the American Dream and another aspect is the desire to rise from one strata to the next. The film satirizes the effect of lofty language utilized by those living within a higher class by revealing the truth that that the more sophisticated speech becomes, the more likely it is to become confusing. H.I.’s entire narration is populated by haughtily descriptive phrasing to describe simple concepts: â€Å"Edwinas insides were a rocky place where my seed could find no purchase.† One doubts that the average petty criminal with little education would describe the i nability of a woman to get pregnant in such a way, but it works both for comedic effect and to further the theme of language can barring communication. In addition to H.I.’s narration, the dialogue also works to reveal how terminology works as a symbolic obstruction to simple communication. One of the most hilarious yet satirically incisive scenes in the film reveals the manner in which professional jargon almost seems to be intentionally utilized to create a firewall of misunderstanding. When H.I. appears before parole board language becomes a direct symbol of the way in which law is exploited to support social distinction between the haves and have-nots. The entire conversation about recidivism leads to the actually quite profound joke about the misunderstanding about H.I. â€Å"not just telling us what we want to hear.† The language game taking place in this scene is painfully