THE ENDING
Glass had said he had nothing to live for after his son's death. Are you supposed to think he dies at the end when he "sees" his wife? Or does he go on living?
shareThe ending is left up to interpretation for us.
I personally think that he lived. He kept breathing which meant he kept fighting. I think him seeing his wife smiling at him and walking away was him finally letting her go. And this was brought on by the reminder by Fitzgerald that nothing he could do could bring his son back a scene earlier. Notice that he didn't see his son with his wife at the end of the movie. In my opinion, if he would've seen his son as well, then it probably meant him finally dying and joining his family. However, since he saw just his wife seemingly for the last time, it may have meant him finally letting go of her and letting go of the past in order for him to move on with his life.
Also, the scene where he was in the sweat lodge hut built by Hikuc, he had found closure with Hawk in his dream which meant that he had developed some peace of mind when it came to his son. Not so his wife at that point. The ending most likely provided that.
Thank you for your sensitive and swift reply. It's rare on these Message Boards to receive such a perceptive interpretation, and I do appreciate it. It's the closest to discussing an intriguing point of a film with a friend.
shareYou're very welcome. Always happy to provide an answer, opinion, or interpretation.๎
shareWow! Loved this! I ended up on Wikipedia because my husband and I couldn't agree on whether he lived or died at the end, but this is a beautiful interpretation!
shareThank you so much.
My mother and I figured that he lived because despite going through so much crap, he's very resilient and still has the strong will to keep fighting. Also, in order for him to keep fighting and move on with his life, he had to let go of the past thus letting his wife go.
The reason he kept "seeing" her, whether it's through flashbacks, in his dreams, or illusions, is due to trauma. He never got over her death and as my mother said, their son was his only physical link to her left. Then, when his son died, it plunged him into even more trauma he was scrambling to overcome which mirrored his struggle to survive. However, once he was able to make peace with his son in the church dream sequence(the best and most beautiful dream sequence in the entire film), he was able to have some closure. Remember, he didn't have closure over his wife yet. As someone else had said, I like to think that Hikuc provided him some closure over Hawk. I believe that the final battle between Glass and Fitzgerald was crucial for very important reasons. To me, when Fitzgerald told him that revenge won't bring his boy back, the look on Glass' face said it all. It was like a profound moment of realization. It most likely made him finally realize that all of the pining over his wife and holding on to his traumatic past was never going to bring back his family. So, the only option he had was to let it all go. I do believe that seeing his wife at the end of the movie smiling at him before walking away was some sort of closure for him.
Now that I think about it, this whole journey was probably some sort of life-changing metamorphosis for Glass to purposefully endure in order for him to let go of his wife, get over the past, and get on with his life. I bet his family would want him to keep on breathing and fighting. As my mother would say, being stuck in the past will keep you from going forward.
Sounds like you both spent time discussing. I was too busy crying :) One of the most beautiful movies I've seen in a really long time, to be sure. The messages and watching his journey was heart wrenching, and I agree, the church scene with his son was one of the most beautiful of the movie, though I was especially moved by the scene the Indian spent building him a sweat lodge to recover in--the kindness and mercy he showed for a stranger was filled with so much love and respect for humanity. Gutted me. Actually pretty much every scene with the two of them--catching snow on their tongues. The simple joy, among so much pain and loss. And then later when Glass was "reborn" from the gutted horse and the moment he took to thank the horse for its sacrifice and life-saving warmth. Amazing
shareYes, we have. I kind of actually wish there would've been more scenes with Glass and Hikuc. I thought the chemistry between them was amazing. You get the sense that both men were unsure of one another at first. But they eventually grow to respect and trust eachother during the all too brief amount of time they've known one another. With Hikuc in particular, he was understandably unsure of Glass who was this stranger that was "supposed" to be his "enemy". Yet he couldn't help but be so concerned for Glass's well being when it came to his festering wounds. And Glass, who was already more than tolerant of Native Americans, was also unsure of Hikuc because he didn't know what this stranger's intentions were. Yet, he eventually and noticeably grew more at ease and relaxed around him. As you said, the kindness and mercy Hikuc has shown to Glass, a total stranger, was filled with so much love and humanity.
You know what's funny? The only time that I've actually cried during this movie was during the snowflakes catching scene. Sure, I admittedly was teary eyed during the scene where Glass sees his son get killed in front of him, him crawling up to his son's body and holding him, and the dream sequence where he and his son hug. However, there was something about the lighthearted scene between him and Hikuc that shockingly hit me hard. It was the only time that we see Glass smile. It was the only time he'd shown any signs of happiness. As others have said, Glass was miserable throughout the film and has a lot of weight on his shoulders from everything he's been through. And it was a total stranger who momentarily coaxed him out of his shell and brightened his day(and quite possibly, the rest of his life). I also get the sense that Hikuc was probably his only true friend in a long time. Not knowing much about his past before he lived with the Pawnee in this film, I have a feeling that Glass was a loner and didn't open up to people very much. Sure, he seemed friendly with Captain Henry. But I think it was more of a respect and honor relationship than a true friendship. With Hikuc, it was kindness, respect, trust, compassion, and joy. Those were the things that he really needed. Especially seeing how happy he seemed with him.๎ต๎ Knowing that and knowing what eventually happened to Hikuc made me break down. My mother and brother had to comfort me. Leonardo DiCaprio and Arthur RedCloud were great together.
And I absolutely agree about the horse. I get a little antsy everytime I read a synopsis for this film or someone saying that Glass steals a horse from the French camp he infiltrated. It's not just any horse he "steals" for crying out loud! That horse belonged to his friend(yes, I said FRIEND) and the French stole the horse after they killed Hikuc! He actually rescued it! Maybe it's just me but I had a feeling that the horse itself was familiar enough with Glass and seemed so calm when Glass was caressing it before he went after the French. I believe that in a way, he looks at the horse as an extension of Hikuc which is why he wanted it, besides using it for travel. And yes, that was truly amazing how Glass took a moment to thank the horse for its sacrifice and life-saving warmth. Also, a lot of people didn't even mention this but notice as he walks away, he looks back at it.๎๐ข
Whoa! I didn't even notice that it was Hikuc's horse! Nice observation by you...and yes, the compassion shown by Hikuc was a nice counterweight to the cruelty shown by many others in the film. The army leader of Glass's fur trading expedition was also a decent guy, it seems.
My real name is Jeff
Thank you.
Yes sir. The horse that Glass had taken and who pretty much sacrificed itself was the same horse that belonged to Hikuc. Also, if you notice, when Glass was having another one of his bizarre dreams about his wife, the horse was making some noise in order to wake him up and warn him of the danger coming his way. Sure enough, a few seconds later, the Arikara came up on him and tried to ambush him. Poor horse and Glass. And as a lot of people have said, such a beautiful horse, too.๐ณ
I'm not sure about Captain Henry but Hikuc certainly represents the best of humanity. As one person had said, he was the kind of character that was like a ray of sunshine in a film so bleak and dark. And I absolutely agree with that assessment. Even my mother said that God had sent him to help Glass. In fact, call me crazy, but I feel as if the screen was lighter during the scenes with him in it. Or at least scenery looked "soft". I'd like to think that perhaps Hikuc became Glass's guiding light.๐ข๐
@gljbradley Notice that he didn't see his son with his wife at the end of the movie.
Yep. I can think of two movies where the protagonist sees his dead wife and child, meaning that he will die to join them.
Because his son wasn't there, I think Glass lives.
Indeed. I honestly think that the reason Glass didn't see Hawk with his wife at the end of the movie was due to him already finding peace with him.
I believe that he got some closure over his son in his dream where they embraced in the destroyed, abandoned church. That was most likely brought on by not only Hikuc's healing ceremony, but also the time he spent with him. I feel that Hikuc provided Glass more than just physical assistance. He provided him with emotional and spiritual assistance that helped him(Glass) get some closure with Hawk and eventually make peace with the past. He didn't find closure with his wife yet because he was still clinging to the past and the trauma that went with it.
It most likely took things like almost getting killed by the Arikara when they tried to ambush him and Fitzgerald reminding him that revenge would never bring back his son which means that what's done in the past is done for him to realize that holding on to the tragic deaths of his family and past trauma wasn't going to get him anywhere. There was nothing he could do to bring them back. That, now that I think about it, probably made Glass think back to what Hikuc told him about how revenge should be left into God/Creator's hands(right before Glass repeated Hikuc's words to Fitzgerald before he sent him down to the Arikara) and how Hikuc himself who, despite also losing his family tragically, seemed at peace with life. Perhaps, subconsciously, he wants to be like his friend in that regard and wants peace in life. I also feel that subconsciously, he still wanted to keep on living even though he has nothing to live for. The reason I say this is due to several instances of how his determination and human spirit remained unbreakable in the face of serious adversity which falls in line of the "As long as you keep breathing, you keep fighting" mantra. Despite going through so much, he still wanted to live. Revenge or not, he STILL wanted to live.
Also, noting his bizarre dreams, he kept seeing his wife. It's been said that in dreams, if you see your deceased loved ones, it means that you miss them, still trying to cope with their deaths, and/or trying to say goodbye somehow. In Glass' case, it's no different. He lost his wife to genocide, never got over that, and had never been able to have a proper farewell with her. Same goes for his son. I believe that once he was out in the wilderness on his own for so long trying to survive, he was able to reflect more on his life and family which opened the door for possible closure for his inner pain. Then, when he met someone who ended up giving him some peace of mind and most likely, a reason to live, he was able to get closure and eventually let his wife go. In order for you to move on with your life, you have to let go of the past.
My two cents!