The Metal Children by Adam Rapp and Taxi Driver by Martin Scorsese were both very interesting and fun to read and watch. At first, I thought to myself, “Ahh a old movie… this is going to be so boring!” However, that was not the case as I was very impressed by how much I liked the movie. Additionally, the Metal Children was very engaging also and kept me anxious to find out what would happen next.
Getting right to the point, I felt like both characters were put in situations that were unexpected. Tobin who doesn’t even realize what the effects of his book would do to Midlothia, has to deal with this situation. Even though he’s EXTREMELY submissive to all that is going on, he still has this problem to deal with. Also, Travis was living his life, but his character is so unpredictable that he ends up wanting to kill Palantine and finds some meaning in is life. He’s motivated and determined to achieve his goal.
I also felt like both societies had an established authority to which each character sort of rebels against. Tobin, unaware but still, writes The Metal Children, which becomes so controversial and splits a whole community. Also, from the beginning of the movie, the setting and scenes display Travis’s environment almost hell-like, and Travis is this character who eventually becomes a “hero” in this horrid environment. Both characters have a tremendous effect on society and change what people think about normal issues. Whether it was Tobin who inspired Vera and her friends or Travis who brought to light prostitution to the eyes of his community, both men created controversy and questioned the morals of the people living in their societies.
Another quality that I felt both characters had in common was their contradictive nature. Tobin was this passive person who was trapped in his own world. Yet, the effect that his work made sparked a big commotion and he was caught in the mess of the world around him. However, in the end of the play, Tobin sort of improves himself. Similarly, Travis who seems to be this tough guy, runs into Iris. Even though he’s on a mission to kill Palantine, he still worries about Iris, which portrays he has a sensitive side too. Travis acts like he has no feelings attached to the world when in fact he gets emotional and passionate at times. Both these characters have two different sides to them.
Finally, a theme that was common to both works was isolation and detachment. Tobin’s wife left him and therefore was alone. This parallels Betsy rejecting Travis. Travis was trying to fit in Betsy’s world but also bring her into his but this didn’t work out for him. Betsy felt offended and hence left Travis. The reader or watcher often finds that he/she wants to sympathize with these characters but this is hard knowing their true intentions. Tobin had no motivation to do anything and had no guts to stand up and say something. I didn’t have any respect for him. Also it’s difficult to tell whether Travis was a hero because it’s easy to say he was just at the right place at the right time. Would the outcome have been the same if the secret service agent didn’t catch him? It’s a mystery.
Many times, the pressures of society can influence our actions. However, both Tobin and Travis influence their societies and create a difference. I enjoyed reading and watching these two characters as they made me think about how our society and media affects what we all do and even think about various issues.
