Conflict In Breaking Away

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Breaking Away is about Dave, Mike, Cyril, and Moocher, best friends who have decided to stay home one additional year after they have graduated from Bloomington High. This group of guys, as well as other people who live and work in Bloomington, and do not attend Indiana University are referred to as “cutters”. In the movie, cutters have a negative. Dave, the main character in the movie, has taken the false identity of an Italian cyclist. Dave’s heroes in this movie are the Italian cyclists that are soon coming to Indianapolis for a race that Dave plans on competing in. The Indiana University students and the cutters butt heads because they frequently invade each other’s turf. When the Indiana University students are caught on the cutters turf, …show more content…
He expresses himself when he says, “Everybody cheats, I just didn’t know it” (Breaking Away). Most fairy tales have a happily ever after. Otherwise, its not considered a fairy tale at all. Tatar says, “Today we recognize that fairy tales are as much about conflict and violence, as about enchantment and happily ever after endings,” (Tatar 310). Breaking Away portrays violence, conflict, enchantment, and a happily ever after ending. The violence breaking out between the Cutters and Hoosiers over invading each other’s turf brings out the conflict in this movie. When they settle the conflict in a good old-fashioned competition the happily ever after ending arises. The happily ever after ending is when Dave wins the Little 500 and changes the reputation of cutters forever. This movie is much more than a tale about an underdog. It is a fairy tale, just like Cinderella. Panttaja and Tatar gave many examples of themes that connect fairy tales and Breaking Away together. This movie contains components of social isolation, lying, cheating, power and privilege, enchantment, and happily-ever-afters. All of these themes that are consistent in fairy tales also occur in Breaking Away, proving that it is also a

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