He must perform a lead role in a school play? In school you're punished by not being allowed in extracurricular activities until grades or behavior improve. This is rediculous. Even those who are in plays are rewarded because many more don't get picked for parts.
shareThe principal and drama teacher were attempting to expose Landon to a different set of people than those he would normally associate with. They hoped this might influence him to think about his constant reckless behavior -- and where that behavior was leading him. If he didn't participate in the school play, he knew there'd be additional consequences.
Rest in peace, Roger Ebert. You were the best.
Can't help but think it's a redo of Love Story with Ryan Oneal.
shareI would further add that for an "in crowd" cool dude like Landon, being forced to spend his afternoons practicing a part in a play with a bunch of uncool dweebs would have been pure torture - to say nothing of the ridicule he'd have to endure from his friends. However, this "punishment" came with a MAJOR silver lining - keeping him in close contact with Jamie, who he was beginning to seriously fall for.
shareI stick by it. Punishment means no sports, no plays, no cheerleading after school. Period.
sharetraditionally. if you like those things. he DIDN'T, so that's why it was a punishment.
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Hmmm. Perhaps not everyone likes what you like?
shareThe point of a punishment is to both inflict a penalty and to establish, and/or reestablish a connection/relationship. It would be a punishment if Landon hated it. I agree with wlp25. It was to both punish Landon, because they knew he hated theater, that he thought it would be torture to have to spend afternoons with people he didn't normally associate with, to rehearse for, and be in a play with, because he thought they were uncool dweebs, and the ribbing he'd endure from his friends as a result...and it was also to hopefully guide him away from the path he was currently on, to expose him to a different set of people from the ones he normally hung with, that it would hopefully influence him to think about his constant reckless behavior -- and where that behavior was leading him if he stayed on that path. I see what you mean, though. If Landon loved theater, THEN it would be a punishment, to not let him participate in it. But they knew he disliked it. So.
shareThe point of punishment is to correct someone's behavior. Not to just hurt them for the sake of revenge. We have a screwed up idea of punishment, it's a dysfunctional application of authority. We'd be a lot better off if more school officials thought like this.
shareJust rewatched this movie the other night, but it's been forever since I read the book. HOWEVER, I think in the book part of the reason they use this as punishment is because they need a good person to perform the lead role, as the couple of guys in the Drama Club (or whatever it's called in the book) are pretty pathetic sounding... I think one guy stutters a lot? (What good is that for a play?) I forget what the deal is with any other possibilities, but they use Landon as their way to get someone "decent" into the main male role for the play so that it doesn't totally suck.
shareIt's been a while since I read the book as well, but I seem to recall that it wasn't actual punishment there (though Landon initially thought so) since he was already in the drama class. He didn't want to participate in the play, but Jamie kind of guilted him into it, as she thought (though would never actually say) the other candidate was pretty weak and it would look bad for her father, who wrote the play.
In the movie, it was one of the "punishments" meted out by the principal - though he couched it in terms like "you need to experience other things, meet new kinds of people etc..." Neither Landon liked the idea though, worried about what their friends would think/say. Plus, they'd have to be hanging around Jamie - Hah! Know how that worked out.
I think they're intention isn't to punish him, it's to encourage him to take on better hobbies to keep out of trouble and motivate him into being a better person.
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