Reflection 1: Lost in the City
Artistic representations of life allow for a visceral expression of concepts that are commonly known. Anonymity is a feeling that most urban dwellers experience. This can be seen on any form of public transit where hundreds of people will be crammed into a train and yet there will be silence. As Tonkiss notes, this requires a sort of "special urban trick" that urban dwellers perform to keep their distance socially despite being in close physical proximity (2003, 301). The result of this trick, however, is anonymity where urban dweller appear to be indifferent to each other. In the film Lost in Translation, the concept of anonymity is brought to centre stage through the two main characters ' interaction with the urban environment. Bob, played by Bill Murray, is an example of Georg Simmel 's metropolitan type in that he is scheduled, part of the money economy, and most importantly has a blasé appearance. Conversely, Charlotte, played by Scarlett Johansson, is the opposite of the metropolitan type as she is irrational in her motives and …show more content…
While Bob is the quintessential metropolitan type, his opposite, Charlotte, represents a rejection of the stereotypes of the metropolis. While she is impacted by the city and has the same blasé appearance as Bob, she is troubled by the city whereas Bob accepts it. This is represented by her characters reason for being in Tokyo and also her uncertain direction in life. While Bob can be described, using Simmel 's words, by his "punctuality, calculabilty, [and] exactness" (1903, 34), Charlotte does not display any of these characteristics. Charlotte is recently graduated, recently married, and has recently moved from her home city. Unfortunately she is unsure of all of these decisions and is searching for some meaning and surety in her life 's direction. In a sense she is searching for Tonnies ' concept of
Artistic representations of life allow for a visceral expression of concepts that are commonly known. Anonymity is a feeling that most urban dwellers experience. This can be seen on any form of public transit where hundreds of people will be crammed into a train and yet there will be silence. As Tonkiss notes, this requires a sort of "special urban trick" that urban dwellers perform to keep their distance socially despite being in close physical proximity (2003, 301). The result of this trick, however, is anonymity where urban dweller appear to be indifferent to each other. In the film Lost in Translation, the concept of anonymity is brought to centre stage through the two main characters ' interaction with the urban environment. Bob, played by Bill Murray, is an example of Georg Simmel 's metropolitan type in that he is scheduled, part of the money economy, and most importantly has a blasé appearance. Conversely, Charlotte, played by Scarlett Johansson, is the opposite of the metropolitan type as she is irrational in her motives and …show more content…
While Bob is the quintessential metropolitan type, his opposite, Charlotte, represents a rejection of the stereotypes of the metropolis. While she is impacted by the city and has the same blasé appearance as Bob, she is troubled by the city whereas Bob accepts it. This is represented by her characters reason for being in Tokyo and also her uncertain direction in life. While Bob can be described, using Simmel 's words, by his "punctuality, calculabilty, [and] exactness" (1903, 34), Charlotte does not display any of these characteristics. Charlotte is recently graduated, recently married, and has recently moved from her home city. Unfortunately she is unsure of all of these decisions and is searching for some meaning and surety in her life 's direction. In a sense she is searching for Tonnies ' concept of