MovieChat Forums > The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio (2007) Discussion > its seems like...

its seems like...

posted 18 years ago by my-untitled-life
4 replies | jump to latest

it seems like she didnt really like her husband it feels like she had love him for the kids I dont get why is he like that"?
SAm

[–] 18 years ago

[deleted]

[–] blisstear-1 18 years ago

I don't know about that - many people have had to change plans in life when the cards aren't dealt to them in a way that they desired. Do we all hit the booze and abuse our families? No. The dad in the movie was a loser and mom a doormat. Maybe it was the time that this happened... In the end I just couldn't warm to the story at all as I could not sympathize with the dad or the mom.

[–] megmarch2003 17 years ago

big sigh.............

I just don't understand why some of you can't see this movie in the context of the times in which it happened. Women were "doormats", as you say, because they had little choice. Evelyn had NOWHERE to go. And she was a Catholic and would have thought that divorce was unthinkable. Just look at the "advice" her priest gave her. Basically, be-quiet-and-serve-your-man.

My dad didn't drink, but he came from a very poor upbringing in rural Arkansas and he didn't receive any education. He used to yell at us kids a lot and we always had to be wary of his temper. He used to whip us with belts. I actually never considered the thought, when I was growing up, that my mom and dad might divorce, but my mom told me when I was grown that if she had had anywhere at all to go, she would have taken us kids and left. But she didn't want to burden any of her family and she couldn't have provided for us herself with the low paying kind of job she could have gotten with no high school diploma.

Today we have lots of information coming our way about how we should seek counselling and help for subtance abuse and anger issues. In those days, people just sort of looked the other way.

"You can't tell me nothin' if you ain't had an 8-track." -Sinbad

[–] madison66-1 17 years ago

She felt responsible for her husband after his accident, which caused the end of his entertaining career.

I was disturbed by the priest (by today's standards) that advised Mrs. Ryan to do better and that it was her responsibility. But those were the times. (A woman's place is in the home and all that...she didn't even know how to drive).

I also had the thought of how can a woman stay in such a dysfunctional relationship, but there were and are many in the last sixty years that did the same thing. Either it was the status quo or they didn’t know they had alternatives.

Many folks today stay in similar dysfunctional relationships for one reason or another. Either it is their own status quo or they don’t know they have alternatives or don't choose to avail themselves of the alternatives.

And most importantly, she seemed focused on keeping her family together.