So he hides away under water while Quint gets eaten and Brody blows up the shark. Pretty much a rich boy ducking out until the rough part is over. Am I right?
"'Extremely High Voltage.' Well, I don't need safety gloves, because I'm Homer Simpzzzzzzzz-" - Frank Grimes
And what exactly was he supposed to do. the shark probably would have gotten him as soon as he came out of hiding. Besides, he probably could't even tell what was going on from way down there. SUre, he probably figured that the shark was attacking the b oat, but with all the bubbles and stuff being stirred up, it was probably impossible to tell. Besides, after experiencing what he did in the cage, I'd be scared sh*tless too.
shareSo how did Hooper know that the coast was clear when he finally came up? Because he saw pieces of shark floating around?
"'Extremely High Voltage.' Well, I don't need safety gloves, because I'm Homer SimpZZZZZZzzzzz-" - Frank Grimes
So how did Hooper know that the coast was clear when he finally came up? Because he saw pieces of shark floating around?
I think the tiny pieces of Quint torso and the HUGE stew of pulsating Bruce blood would signal "I think it's safe now".
shareI don't know what he was supposed to do. His action going into the cage in the first place was certainly heroic. What else could he do, though, when he saw the shark jump on the boat and demolish it? He'd lost his speargun, and even if he found and retrieved it, my understanding is that they don't work very well out of the water. But even if he surfaced, speargun in hand, what would he have done? Joined and possibly distracted Brody's shooting on the sinking Orca? I just can't see a realistic outcome for Hooper surfacing before he did. What if he had surfaced just at the wrong moment and gotten himself blown up along with the shark...?
sharePretty much a rich boy ducking out until the rough part is over.
He climbs in a cage to take a shark on in a fight
shareAnd he takes a lone dive, leaving Brody on the boat, to explore Ben Gardner's wrecked fishing boat. Hooper's no coward.
shareSo besides planning an elaborate heroic act while hiding underwater, I am not sure what was going through his mind during the ten minutes until he saw the exploded shark corpse floating down past him.
"'Extremely High Voltage.' Well, I don't need safety gloves, because I'm Homer SimpZzZzZzZzZzZzZzZzZz--" - Frank Grimes
So what was going through your mind when Hooper bravely dove on his lone search of Gardner's boat, and when Hooper heroically suggested - and executed - his plan to go into the cage, the cage goes into the water, shark's in the water, our shark...? Amazing that you read the character as a coward for keeping away from the shark until he could plainly see that Brody had killed it, and that you ignore his other displays of courage.
shareWell, he dropped the tooth in fright. He had no saliva to wet his mask. He dropped the spear-gun. Need I continue? He did not surface until it was safe to go swimming home. Brody was the only one who overcame his own fears.
"'Extremely High Voltage.' Well, I don't need safety gloves, because I'm Homer SimpZzZzSsSs--" - Frank Grimes
Courage doesn't mean you're not afraid, it means you put your fear on the back burner to do what has to be done. That's what Hooper did in the search of Gardner's boat and what he did going into the shark cage - of course he dropped the tooth as a shock reaction from being startled - and of course in the cage his mouth was dry due to an intense stress...which he was brave enough to overcome.
He did not surface until it was safe to go swimming home
1. If true, that was merely common sense.
2. With his knowledge of shark behavior he probably doubted he could get safely home if carnivores started going after the dead shark. He could only guess about it until he actually surfaced.
3. When he did surface, he didn't start swimming home. Instead he surfaced next to the Orca and went over to Brody and they both swam home.
Is Hooper supposed to be a surrogate or "Mary Sue" who represents Steven Spielberg?
shareThose things show that he was frightened, but not a coward. A brave person goes into danger in spite of his fear. And what could Hooper do after he dropped his poison dart gun? Use himself as bait while Brody shot at it? He did the only thing a reasonable person could do in that situation, hide out until the danger has passed.
shareTanks. Tanks a lot.
"'Extremely High Voltage.' Well, I don't need safety gloves, because I'm Homer SimpsonBzzzzz--" - Frank Grimes
Coward and a failure on top of that, I think you'll find. He just went to the bottom to hang out with all his friends, that's all.
🇦🇺 All the little devils are proud of Hell.
I don't think Hooper was a coward at all. I believe the shark would have gotten him had he swam to the surface waiting for Quint and Brody to pull him into the boat. He didn't know the shark was going to destroy the boat and kill Quint. I never thought he was a coward to begin with. He went scuba diving those two times. One time outside the cage. I definitely wouldn't have done that.
shareOK, maybe he wasn't a coward. But definitely a yellow-belly.
"'Extremely High Voltage.' Well, I don't need safety gloves, because I'm Homer SimpSSSZZZZZ--" - Frank Grimes
Maybe he was just a frightened man.
shareWhat I blame Hooper for is not cowardice, but instead of getting the barrels ready (which was his charge) when Jaws first swam up on the boat he was too busy wasting time getting Brody to go out on the pulpit to give the picture he wanted to take some scale. That cost Quint the chance to get a perfect head shot that could have ended the hunt right then and there and in the end wound up costing Quint his life.
shareEven though I love 70s era Richard Dreyfuss, I have to agree with you.
"'Extremely High Voltage.' Well, I don't need safety gloves, because I'm Homer SimpsonZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ--" - Frank Grimes
No. Brave and lucky. As was Brody.
Hooper went on a solo dive, at night, in a known feeding area of a "large squalus" as he would put it. He went in a shark cage, in the water, knowing that the shark might well be able to do serious damage to it and eat him.
Quint was a hero as well, but fell victim to his own arrogance (smashing the radio, pushing the boat's engine too hard).
Now, Mayor Vaughan, HE was a coward.
So why did Hooper disappear for the final stand-off fight? He left Brody and Quint to fight that great white by themselves.
So he surfaces in the middle of it. What would you have him do?
shareI don't think that is the point. Is Hooper hiding under the water until the coast is clear? Where is he and why?
"'Extremely High Voltage.' Well, I don't need safety gloves, because I'm Homer SimpsonBZZZZZZ--" - Frank Grimes
He's behind the rock - it shows you this.
You keep avoiding the question. How is someone in a SCUBA diving suit meant to help repel a 25ft Great White? Wave to it whilst treading water & call it nasty names?
He was brave enough to check out Gardener's boat, brave enough to go in the cage when all else was lost. He spends his whole life studying & swimming with sharks; is that the job of a coward?
The only act which could ever have been seen as cowardly is when Brody refused to go to the end of the pulpit...like any rational or aquaphobic person would do.
I think you bit off more than you could chew with this thread; you obviously felt compelled to keep going with your silly theory even when it was proven beyond doubt that you had no call to think that. I think you should have admitted defeat weeks ago...but I'll ask anyway:
What would you have done in Hooper's position, ie in the water with an angry Great White, desperate for your flesh? Swim to the surface & hope the shark doesn't notice, or try & protect yourself with knowledge gleaned from hours of shark study? Only a lunatic would choose the former.
Putting oneself in Hooper's position, what could he actually see while hiding at the bottom? This:
(1) Shark wrestles/destroys what's left of the cage (20 seconds)
(2) Shark charges, jumps, and destroys the transom of the Orca and causes it to start sinking rapidly (15 seconds)
(3) Shark eats someone (30 seconds); can't see who got eaten from all the blood, foam, and wreckage of Orca
(4) Shark attacks boat again, but is there anyone even alive on board? (40 seconds)
(5) Orca sinking; can't see anyone still alive on board from down here. Shark seems to want to eat the boat (Remember when that thresher shark destroyed my row boat when I was a kid?), circles and charges toward it (40 seconds)
(6) Shark blows up
All of this transpires in about 3 minutes, maybe 4, none of which Hooper could clearly see from his vantage point since it is virtually impossible to see anything above the water surface. All he can see is the big-ass shark that eats every human it can see/smell.
Hooper simply did what anyone would do; he escaped and looked for cover, thankful to be alive. Keep in mind, he had no idea the shark was going to leap onto the Orca. In fact, the time between him getting to the ocean bottom and the shark jumping onto the boat was about one minute (give or take a few seconds). Hardly time for Hooper to get his adrenaline and breathing under control, and formulate a plan for how to get back onboard.
In closing, I don’t think Hooper was a coward, but was a tad bit cavalier regarding the shark. He took a dip - AT NIGHT - when he knows the shark is a night feeder, plus when they first spot the shark he’s more interested in taking pictures than killing it.
No, I never thought of Hooper as a coward, and I don't think he was. If you ask Spielberg himself, I don't believe a depiction of cowardice was his intentions for that character.
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