Aging Presented in Away from Her and Driving Miss Daisy
Allison Riddle
U20822752
The presentation of aging in film can be presented in a multitude of ways. Each presentation telling a story about a struggle that every person will face eventually, whether scared, worried or indifferent about this process. Two films that depict the aging process quite gracefully for the elderly, ailing characters are Away from Her (2006) and Driving Miss Daisy (1989). Both films show how the journey of aging has changed the characters’ desired paths for their lives by taking away aspects of their lives that seem important and replacing them with new people that are all the more important in this new stage of life.
In Away from Her, the main characters, …show more content…
They have nice cars and a beautiful house in the woods. She receives good care at a newly constructed nursing home. Grant doesn’t appear to work because he spends every day at the nursing home just watching Fiona take care of Aubrey. Their situation could have been different if they were poorer. Grant might have kept Fiona at home due to financial reasons, like Aubrey’s wife decided to do when she could no longer afford Meadow Lake. The situation could have ended up differently, Fiona might have resented Grant for not allowing her to leave home and let him move on. Regardless of the financial means, Grant was miserable watching his wife experience this condition but he knew as her caregiver and husband he needed to accept the person she had become. This new woman, who didn’t know who he was, wore clothing different than she normally would have, loved another man and might only remember him on a good day. He accepted the change and that her needs had changed also.
Unlike Away from Her, Driving Miss Daisy deals with a much slower progression of aging. It shows Miss Daisy’s graceful aging from her seventies to her nineties. She is an elderly woman of the 50’s that enjoys her independence and becomes stubborn when her son tries to help her after she wrecks her car in the driveway. Her son hires a driver for her, Hoke, which she refuses to use. Eventually Hoke wins her over and they become very good …show more content…
Both films show that while aging, it is easier to have someone that understands what you are going through. No matter how much your caregiver, spouse and son in this case, love you; it is easier to have someone that can relate to you. This could be the reason why Miss Daisy, after some warming up, becomes remarkably close to Hoke. They are both aging together. The same type of attachment happens with Fiona and Aubrey. She becomes attached to him because he makes her decline easier, not so confusing. It’s a form of companionship that doesn’t require them to explain themselves. It doesn’t have as much embarrassment and shame involved because these friends didn’t know them before their declining health. There is no comparison to who they use to
Allison Riddle
U20822752
The presentation of aging in film can be presented in a multitude of ways. Each presentation telling a story about a struggle that every person will face eventually, whether scared, worried or indifferent about this process. Two films that depict the aging process quite gracefully for the elderly, ailing characters are Away from Her (2006) and Driving Miss Daisy (1989). Both films show how the journey of aging has changed the characters’ desired paths for their lives by taking away aspects of their lives that seem important and replacing them with new people that are all the more important in this new stage of life.
In Away from Her, the main characters, …show more content…
They have nice cars and a beautiful house in the woods. She receives good care at a newly constructed nursing home. Grant doesn’t appear to work because he spends every day at the nursing home just watching Fiona take care of Aubrey. Their situation could have been different if they were poorer. Grant might have kept Fiona at home due to financial reasons, like Aubrey’s wife decided to do when she could no longer afford Meadow Lake. The situation could have ended up differently, Fiona might have resented Grant for not allowing her to leave home and let him move on. Regardless of the financial means, Grant was miserable watching his wife experience this condition but he knew as her caregiver and husband he needed to accept the person she had become. This new woman, who didn’t know who he was, wore clothing different than she normally would have, loved another man and might only remember him on a good day. He accepted the change and that her needs had changed also.
Unlike Away from Her, Driving Miss Daisy deals with a much slower progression of aging. It shows Miss Daisy’s graceful aging from her seventies to her nineties. She is an elderly woman of the 50’s that enjoys her independence and becomes stubborn when her son tries to help her after she wrecks her car in the driveway. Her son hires a driver for her, Hoke, which she refuses to use. Eventually Hoke wins her over and they become very good …show more content…
Both films show that while aging, it is easier to have someone that understands what you are going through. No matter how much your caregiver, spouse and son in this case, love you; it is easier to have someone that can relate to you. This could be the reason why Miss Daisy, after some warming up, becomes remarkably close to Hoke. They are both aging together. The same type of attachment happens with Fiona and Aubrey. She becomes attached to him because he makes her decline easier, not so confusing. It’s a form of companionship that doesn’t require them to explain themselves. It doesn’t have as much embarrassment and shame involved because these friends didn’t know them before their declining health. There is no comparison to who they use to