The value of life in Harold and Maude
The movie, Harold and Maude, released in 1971, is directed by Hal Ashby and written by Colin Higgins. It talks about a young man, Harold, who is fascinated by the world of death. He simulates suicide, drives in a hearse and goes to the funeral as a hobby. He meets Maude in a funeral. She is an energetic old lady full of life. They had a romantic adventure together until Maude commits suicide on her 80th birthday. Through Maude’s influence, Harold loses his obsession with death and destruction and learns how to embrace life.
Even though he is wealthy, Harold is not satisfied with his life. The way his mom behaves can explain why he is like that. She does not truly care for him. The scene where she is swimming gracefully while her son is drowning shows how Harold and his mom are not close with each other. In his first supposed death, he sees how …show more content…
She behaves like a free-spirited Buddhist. She shows the answer of the three poisons in Buddhism. She opposes the first poison, greed by being detached to materials. She steals others cars to remind their owner to not be attached to objects. She understands that nothing is permanent. She knows that even though she collects many things, she is not attached to them. She contrasts a value of our society, which is materialism. Instead of valuing possessions, she values experiences. She is rich of experiences of love and passion. Likewise, she counterbalances aversion by accepting her enemy. She does not feel hatred; she embraces her enemy. This is the reason why she does not get mad at the policeman when he arrests her. She protests in her own way by living her life fully. She also counteracts the third poison, delusion by being aware of what life is. For example, she is aware that life has an end. She does not have taboo about death, she speaks about it freely. She knows that everyone will die one day and she is not afraid of
The movie, Harold and Maude, released in 1971, is directed by Hal Ashby and written by Colin Higgins. It talks about a young man, Harold, who is fascinated by the world of death. He simulates suicide, drives in a hearse and goes to the funeral as a hobby. He meets Maude in a funeral. She is an energetic old lady full of life. They had a romantic adventure together until Maude commits suicide on her 80th birthday. Through Maude’s influence, Harold loses his obsession with death and destruction and learns how to embrace life.
Even though he is wealthy, Harold is not satisfied with his life. The way his mom behaves can explain why he is like that. She does not truly care for him. The scene where she is swimming gracefully while her son is drowning shows how Harold and his mom are not close with each other. In his first supposed death, he sees how …show more content…
She behaves like a free-spirited Buddhist. She shows the answer of the three poisons in Buddhism. She opposes the first poison, greed by being detached to materials. She steals others cars to remind their owner to not be attached to objects. She understands that nothing is permanent. She knows that even though she collects many things, she is not attached to them. She contrasts a value of our society, which is materialism. Instead of valuing possessions, she values experiences. She is rich of experiences of love and passion. Likewise, she counterbalances aversion by accepting her enemy. She does not feel hatred; she embraces her enemy. This is the reason why she does not get mad at the policeman when he arrests her. She protests in her own way by living her life fully. She also counteracts the third poison, delusion by being aware of what life is. For example, she is aware that life has an end. She does not have taboo about death, she speaks about it freely. She knows that everyone will die one day and she is not afraid of