Comparing Symbols In Carl Ashby's Harold And Maude

In Hal Ashby’s Harold and Maude, the viewer is introduced to a young adult obsessed with the idea of death. This character, Harold, is seen hanging, drowning, and shooting himself, among other things, all while attending strangers’ funerals in his spare time. At one funeral, Maude, an energetic, elderly woman, introduces herself to Harold, and the two soon become inseparable. Then over a short amount of time, the two fall in love despite the nearly 60 year age difference. During their short time together, Maude teaches Harold many important lessons about life and experiencing new things. These lessons are also told using symbols, such as cars, and throughout the movie, the viewer sees the different relationships both Harold and Maude have with cars. The first lesson is that the vehicles may represent one’s personality. After his mother thought Harold died in a chemistry explosion at school, he realized that he enjoys being dead. Therefore, Harold drives a hearse, symbolizing an omen for death. Later in the movie, his mother gives him a new Jaguar, a small and sporty car, …show more content…
This could be interpreted as an escape from dying. This is ironic because the hearse usually symbolizes death, but Maude describes it as being, “Good on curves! “This quote may lead the viewer to rethink the idea that hearses are meant to be driven slowly and reverently, not drifting at high speeds. This contradiction shows that even though humans want to move rapidly and live long, fulfilling lives, they can never truly escape aging and dying. This inevitable situation causes many people to be terrified of dying and fear what may come afterwards, or others, like Maude, embrace this outcome and welcome death as a happy ending to their lives. The audience is able to see that Maude truly content with her life when she replies that she is happy that she was able to spend her last moments with