Great Expectations: Gentle

Gentle Rocky (1976) is the embodiment of the classic underdog story, which has been a beloved trope since Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. What makes it an instant classic, however, is the underdog himself- Rocky Balboa, the quintessential everyman with a heart of gold. He, as every underdog is, is highly relatable, but beyond that he particularly resonates with me because even though the story is about him achieving his goal, defeating Apollo Creed in a bloody one on one boxing match, the one word I would use to describe the ‘Italian Stallion’ is gentle. In my opinion makes Rocky(1976) a masterwork. Though the entire movie centers around his fight with Apollo Creed, Rocky manages to show over and over that the people in his life are the most important thing to him. Mick, Adrian, Pauley and even the teenage girl, Marie are always handled in a way that seems gentle in contrast to the rough and tumble boxing theme. From the moment that he refuses to break the thumbs of a man in debt to a loan shark that he works for, you can see the forgiving nature of the character despite the brutal punishment he both gives and receives in the ring. I was intrigued by this notion, and continued to grow more and more attached to the character as the movie continued through his …show more content…
The way he is patient with Adrian, who is too shy to talk to him in the pet store, how he lets Pauley drop to the ground instead of hitting him while he was drunk like he undoubtedly could have, and the grace in which he apologizes to Mick made me care for and sympathize with his character as much as I admired his physical strength. The fact that he is so