Nature Vs. Nurture In Moonlight By Barry Jenkins

Many have delved into the psychological argument of nature versus nurture, but it is a topic that eludes a simple answer. Nevertheless, Barry Jenkins incorporates this complex idea into his dramatic feature, Moonlight. The film starts off centered around a young boy, nicknamed “Little,” growing up in Liberty City, Miami. He is assigned different names and different expectations while he struggles to solve who he is for himself. The audience watches this boy grow up through key moments depicted from his childhood, teenagehood, and young adulthood. Such key moments can often be identified through inclusion of water in a scene, which serves as a constant symbol of growth and change throughout the movie. While trapped by expectations, water counters …show more content…
At home, Chiron submerges his bloody face in ice water. Here, water strengthens him and the audience witnesses a turn in character development. Giving into nature, Chiron hits Tyrell over the head with a chair in class, which results in him being escorted out by police. This sends his life into a downward spiral as illustrated by one of the following scenes where adult Chiron has his face submerged in ice water as well. Now living in Atlanta, Georgia and going by the name “Black,” the audience becomes aware that Black has gotten into the drug business through spending time in jail. This is the path that Juan attempted to steer him away from when he was younger, but after Juan’s death when Black was a teenager, he was vulnerable and back on the path to becoming a stereotypical criminal from the hood. Ultimately, the ice water scenes embody a different type of character change than the ocean scenes; the ocean scenes were a result of nurture, while the ice water scenes were a result of …show more content…
This final shot of the film provokes that Black is back on the path that Juan had intended for him. For, once Kevin reveals how happy he is with how his life turned out, Black becomes noticeably remorseful of the choices he has made and desires to change. As symbolized by the ocean, Black is prepared to make his own decisions again instead of just accepting the scenarios that befall him. Moonlight essentially depicts the growth of a struggling black child in the ghetto of Miami. Its complexity lies in the analysis of dialogue and symbolism of water. The audience observes the screen as Little transforms into Chiron and Chiron transforms into Black (who then reverts part of himself back to Little). By the end, not only did water act as a catalyst for change, but so does